Cats And Dogs
by Kohana-chan Takahashi
Summary: Kiba Inuzuka and Neko Inari ALWAYS fight.. it's kind of a given.. but what if one starts falling for the other? What is it about Neko's past that makes her so afraid of being alone? Will they set aside their differences? KibaxOC, ShikaTem, NarutoxOC, many others. My first story, so don't freak if it's not that good. Rated T just in case. Lots of swearing. In the process of editing.
1. The Mission!

Chapter 1: The Mission!

"C'mon, Neko," sighed a lazy Shikamaru. "We've gotta go to Tsunade to get my team's new mission."

I was playing with my little cat, Talon. Talon actually _loved_ to be around Shikamaru; my best friend.

We had been close ever since I had come to the village, Konoha, nearly a year ago. I was also pretty close with his girlfriend, Temari. Temari was one badass person; almost as badass as myself if I may say so.

Shikamaru and I were nearly inseparable after we met, becoming friends very hastily, and he had introduced me to everyone he knew.

I was fine with all of them, except one, and he reeked of dog; Kiba Inuzuka. Yeah, I said it. He irritated me, because all he did was hate me. It was because I was from the Inari clan and he was an Inuzuka.

Honestly, I try my _best_ not to listen to him, but we're like night and day. The worst part of it all was that Shikamaru was the leader of Kiba's squad, so he and I saw _way_ too much of each other for our liking.

Shikamaru and I walked to Tsunade's office together.

When we arrived there, Tsunade was already talking to Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's #1 hyperactive knucklehead, and none other than Kiba Inuzuka.

"…I want you to bring it back _immediately!_"

She was screeching at the two. They were sweat-dropping in nervousness when Tsunade finally turned and saw Shikamaru and I.

"Shikamaru! It's one thing to be lazy, but being late is nearly unacceptable! You will lead these two on an A-rank mission."

"Woah," Kiba said, his eyes wide.

"A-rank mission? This'll be my first."

Naruto pumped his fist, "Mine, too!"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Alright, but exactly what will we be doing?"

"You will retrieve a secret scroll. I believe the Hidden Sound Village has it, and we want it to keep it from falling into the hands of those who may use it for the wrong purposes. I'm sending this team because I know that you'll be successful."

Kiba laughed, his teeth flashing. "Damn straight we'll be successful."

"Hey grandma Tsunade…" Naruto began, scratching his cheek.

"_I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!"_

Lady Tsunade screamed, slamming her hands down on the desk and standing up as Naruto ran out of the room in panic.

"Ok," she sighed, sitting down again. "You're excused."

The three remaining bowed respectfully and walked out of her office.

I couldn't help but notice how quickly Shikamaru took position between the Inuzuka and myself; he had become accustomed to this because he _knew_ that if he didn't do anything, that we'd be all up in each other's face. Even though he _knows_ that it's always Kiba who starts it, I always tried my best to stay the hell out of it.

"I'm not a _complete_ idiot, Shik," said Kiba defiantly as I braced myself for whatever he was going to say.

"I _know_ that pussy cat is over there. I can smell her from miles away."

My eyebrow twitched but I remained silent; I got shit like this from him every day.

_Pussy cat._ That was his nickname for me. I hated it, but sometimes I'd get him back by calling him dog boy, which really isn't an insult since everyone calls him that.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Try not to start anything, Inuzuka."

Akamaru popped out of Kiba's jacket and started barking at Talon and I.

Talon, being the calm and collective cat that she is, just flicked her tail, narrowed her eyes, and looked the opposite direction.

I smirked at that but still remained silent; I, honestly, hated talking to Kiba as much as she hated seeing him.

"Hey guys," Naruto said, coming up to them and rubbing the back of his head.

"Naruto," Shikamaru started.

"We have to go out on an _A-RANK_ mission. If you don't already understand the importance, then go and stock up; we have 30 minutes to get out of the village if we're to arrive at the scheduled time. You too, Kiba. Meet up at the entrance to the village… and if you're not there, then I'll find replacements for you two."

The two nodded and hurried off down the street, even though I couldn't help but notice how Kiba turned his head and glared at me with a look of what I made out to be contempt.

Shikamaru turned to me and sighed, "Considering the time that it takes to get to the Sound Village, do the mission, then come back... This mission could take a month and a half, Neko."

My eyes widened as I stared at Shikamaru, who looked unhappy to be leaving me. He seemed to always think of me as a little sister, and he didn't like it when he left me to fend for myself.

He _knew_ one of my greatest fears was being alone, and he hated to put me through that.

"I know. I wish I was going with you," I sighed, feeling the bitter taste of the pain I knew I would feel later sear my tongue.

Then, though, my eyes narrowed into little slits like they usually did when I was angry.

"In a way, though, I'm glad I'm not; I wouldn't want to have to deal with _KIBA_ all day and every day for an entire month and a half."

I spat out his name like it was rotten.

Shikamaru seemed like he couldn't help but laugh at that and said, "In a way, I'm glad you're not coming too. It's ranked A because it's a potentially dangerous mission. I don't need you getting any injuries. You've only just become a Chunin..."

I laughed, "I take pain well and you know that..."

"I know… but still."

The two of us walked to the entrance to the village, the gates, and I noticed that it was deserted at this time of day. No one was awake, which made it quiet and peaceful.

We sat down and began to talk, knowing that this would be the last time we'd get to for at least a month.

**Naruto/Kiba's POV**

Naruto and Kiba both hurried off to the Ninja Tools shop to pick up food pills and stuff for their long trip.

"Hell yes," Naruto said as they ran through the nearly deserted streets.

"Finally, a mission we get to do, AND it's interesting!"

"You got it, Naruto." Kiba, also excited about the mission, was laughing at his enthusiasm.

They reached the shop, and Kiba got three bags of food pills and some extra kunais, while Naruto got 4 bags of food pills and muttered, scratching his cheek.

"We should go get some ramen. On me?"

Kiba smirked, "Sure."

They hurried to the Ichiraku Ramen shop, Naruto's stomach growling the entire way there.

Once they had arrived, they sat down, ordered Miso ramen, and started to eat once it was ready.

"I'm _glad_ it'll just be the three… I mean _four_ of us," Kiba said, when he glanced at Akamaru hanging out of his jacket.

Naruto shrugged, "I kinda wish that Neko was coming with us. She seems to calm Shikamaru down, and he's worried she won't be able to cope with being in the village without him."

Kiba stopped eating for a moment and glanced at Naruto, astounded at how well he knew Shikamaru's feelings.

"I'm sure pussy cat will be fine by herself. There aren't any threats in the village, so why is he so scared?"

Naruto shrugged, slurping some noodles down his throat.

"I remember him telling me it was something about Neko's past that he doesn't want her to relive. He didn't tell me anything more than that, though."

Kiba glared at him indignantly, "Why doesn't he tell _me_ anything like that?!"

"Because _maybe_," Naruto countered, glaring back at him, "He thought you were going to say something insulting about her."

Kiba snorted, "He's probably right. What ninja can _be_ a ninja if they can't take care of themselves?! I don't understand why he wanted her and her stupid cat to become ninjas in the first place..."

Naruto's were eyebrows knitted in thought, "I don't think it's because she can't take care of herself, Kiba. It's something else."

But before he could speculate exactly what he thought was the reason why Shikamaru didn't like to leave her alone, Kiba muttered unhappily, still quite shaken that Shikamaru would leave him out and fill his teammate in.

"Let's pay and get to the gate early. The sooner we start on this mission, the sooner we're outta here."

Since it was on Naruto's tab, he paid and started off for the gates.

**Neko's POV**

I was talking to Shikamaru about exactly what I would be doing while he was gone: missions, keeping the house clean, daily training with Temari... all sorts of stuff, but that's when I heard the most horrible voice:

"Hey, pussy cat,"

Kiba's teasing voice could be heard as I turned to see him standing behind Shikamaru and I.

"It's a great thing you're not coming on this mission. I wouldn't want cat smell in my nose all day." He sneered.

I sighed; it had been over a week since I had responded to any of his insults, and honestly, I was tired of it.

"I don't even want to go. I'd rather stay here and do nothing than be on a mission with you."

Talon mewed in what seemed like agreement, and I felt my face light up in a smile.

Kiba's opened his eyes wide for a moment, then smirked at me in a very mean way.

"C'mon, Shik, Uzumaki; let's go and get that scroll."

Shikamaru looked back at me for a moment as he stood up and sighed.

"Dammit, looks like I have to go."

He hugged me. "You had better take care of yourself, ok? I'll be back in a month and a half. If you need anything, you can talk to Temari, and-"

I hugged him back, cutting him off.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be _fine,_" I assured him.

I watched Naruto from the corner of my eye sneak up to Shikamaru's side.

"I'm sure you will be, Neko."

I stopped hugging Shikamaru and looked at Naruto.

His blue eyes looked nearly tearful, but he smiled one of his normal smiles, which really reassured me.

I could _feel_ my eyes getting teary and wide.

"I will. Now, you three, including Akamaru," I glanced at the dog hanging out of Kiba's jacket and continued. "Have fun on your mission. I'll be waiting for you to return; I know you will all be ok."

I felt a small, bright smile light up my face as I looked between Naruto and Shikamaru.

Kiba rolled his eyes, turning his back to me.

"This is touching and all, but let's just go."

He began to start off, and I watched Naruto glare at his back.

"I'm sorry, Neko," he looked back at me, earnestly, then turned.

"Let's go, Shikamaru."

Kiba was already out of sight, and Naruto was almost unrecognizable underneath all of the trees, even _with_ his orange jumpsuit on.

Shikamaru, though, turned around to look back at me as soon as he got to the tree line.

Then, he took one last look, and he was gone.

* * *

First chapters are always terrible, aren't they? Ok, so I'm re-editting all of my stories to make them easier to understand and read, as well as fixing some mistakes that I see. Also, it'll be in first person, so... yeah. Rate/Review! :)


	2. Catching Up

_Flashback:_

_"Let's go, Shikamaru."_

_Kiba was already out of sight, and Naruto was almost unrecognizable underneath all of the trees, even with his orange jumpsuit on._

_Shikamaru, though, turned around to look back at me as soon as he got to the tree line._

_Then, he took one last look, and he was gone._

Chapter 2: Catching Up

I wiped the tears from my eyes and my face, then I turned to Talon.

"Let's go to Lady Tsunade. Maybe she has something for us to do."

I started to walk back to the huge red building, but just as I had passed the ramen shop, an ANBU Black Ops member approached me.

"Come with me; Lady Tsunade needs you."

I stared back at the masked man.

_"What could Lady Tsunade want?" _I wondered.

"I was just going there."

The ANBU member led me back to Lady Tsunade's office, and said in a low voice:

"Here she is, Lady Tsunade." As soon as the sentance was said, he disappeared.

"What did you need?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"We know of your developing skills in battle and your quick-like thinking, Neko Inari." She said, seriously.

My first thoughts were only of anything bad I may have ever done.

"Am I in trouble…?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No, not at all," said Tsunade, smirking.

"I have just decided that Team Shikamaru could use your smarts as co-captain of his team for his mission."

I, honestly, couldn't believe what I had just heard. _"She's... not serious...?"_

"R-really?"

Tsunade nodded and handed me a scroll, "This contains information that Shikamaru would need to know about the update to his team."

I kept smiling ridiculously and I heard my voice, unusually giddy, escape my mouth.

"I guess I had better catch up…"

Tsunade waved her hand, "Go right on ahead. I _know_ Shikamaru would do better on this mission if he had tabs on you."

Suddenly, it clicked in my mind.

"So... you _saw_ that goodbye we were bidding each other, huh?"

Tsunade nodded and smiled, "Go ahead kid; you deserve to be on this mission as well."

I quickly bowed and ran out of the office.

"_No fucking way," _I thought to myself, full of nothing but joy and relief as I sprinted out of the main gates.

_"__I don't think things could get better than this."_

I stopped, though, thinking of everything that could go wrong.

_"One of us could die or get hurt... and-"_

That's when it really hit me:

"_Kiba's _on that team!" I exclaimed this fact aloud and face-palmed.

"Ah, Talon, how could I overlook something so _crucial_?!"

Talon shrugged and mewed, telling me to get a move on, or I'd never catch up to them.

"You're right... I'll hurry up and... well... shit!"

I ran back to the village, and to Shikamaru and Temari's place, which was where I lived. I grabbed my twin swords, which was my prefered weapon in battle, since my claws couldn't do much.

Again, I ran back out of the village, hoping that we'd all come back safe and alive.

"Talon," I glanced at the small black cat with green eyes on my shoulder.

"If we're gonna have to be on this mission with both Kiba and Akamaru, then we're going to try our best to get along with them. Ok?"

Talon only flicked her tail, usually meaning something on the terms of, "Whatever."

I sighed: maybe this mission wouldn't be as easy as I had initially thought.

**Shikamaru/Kiba/Naruto's POV**

Naruto sighed, "That goodbye must have been tough, Shik."

Shikamaru's eyes were trained on the ground in front of him, "You have _no_ idea, Uzumaki."

Kiba snorted, "You should just get the hell over it and focus on the mission. If our leader isn't on the ball, then the mission's gonna fail. This one's _actually_ important."

Naruto growled, "Shut the hell up, Kiba."

Kiba turned, his eyes sparking a challenge, "You wanna fight, Uzumaki?!"

"Let's go, Inuzuka!" Naruto growled again, clearly pissed off at Kiba's relentless attitude.

**Neko's POV**

Honestly, I could hear their spat from miles away, and when I approached, I sighed.

"You guys are already lowering the team's morale and fighting?"

All three of them stopped in their tracks and stared at me.

Kiba was the first to speak.

"What the hell do you want, pussy cat? This mission is important."

He looked so impatient and 'important' that I wanted to jump down there and slap him across his stupid, smug face, but I knew that it would only jeopardize the mission.

Shikamaru looked ready to burst, "Dammit, Neko! Why are you here?!"

I flinched; he only _ever_ cursed at me like that, but I decided to let it slide because he was only doing it out of worry and stress over the mission and the thought of leaving her with Temari for a month and a half.

A small smile lit up my face.

"Because Tsunade told me to find you guys."

I began pulling out the scroll that had the notes on it.

Naruto put his arms around her, "Yay! Neko! Heh, earlier, Shik was close to tears before you showed up!"

Shikamaru glared at him, making him back off, and hugged me, too.

"You really shouldn't be here… the mission will be fine-"

I pushed him away and held out the scroll/note.

He looked at it skeptically for a moment, then opened it up to read it.

It was taking him _forever_ to read it, though; he must have read it damn near 20 times over.

Then, he dropped it and hugged her.

Naruto, like normal, was completely clueless.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Shikamaru stopped hugging me, "Say hello to your new co-captain."

* * *

It may be a chapter or two before we start getting into the characters and the story stops being boring :\ Bear with me! Rate/Review!


	3. 4 Man Squad!

_Flashback:_

_Naruto, like normal, was completely clueless._

_"What the hell is going on here?"_

_Shikamaru stopped hugging me, "Say hello to your new co-captain."_

Chapter 3: 4 Man Squad!

Kiba snorted, "What kind of captain can she be?!"

Shikamaru glared at him, angrily.

"Shut the hell up."

I held his shoulder, "It's alright, Shika."

_"Who does he think he is...?"_ I turned to Kiba.

"Why don't you get off my case?!" I could feel my eyes glint dangerously, but they hadn't quite slit yet.

Kiba laughed at me, his tone sounding like he was mocking me, and smirked.

"Huh. And I actually thought you were scared to talk to me…"

_"That's it."_

I couldn't contain myself as I slapped him on the face.

"Watch it."

Successfully getting him to shut up and stay out of my face, I walked away, feeling accomplished.

I could _hear_ Naruto laughing at Kiba, and then he caught up with me. "So… do you like ramen?"

**Kiba's POV**

_"Tch... I can't believe she'd hit me..."_

Resisting the urge to hit her back, I lagged behind the group.

Shikamaru must have notice, because he fell behind as well.

He had a smirk directed at me.

I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice as I muttered;

"S-she… slapped me…"

"Well, Inuzuka," Shikamaru said, his arms positioned behind his head like normal.

"She'll slap you if you're being an ass."

My eyes were still wide in disbelief as I rubbed my cheek, feeling embarrassed.

_"I'll get her back later. Bitch."_

Shikamaru continued ahead with Neko and Naruto, while I slowly stopped and just stood there, holding my cheek.

"Psh. Pussy cat… she's just lucky I'm not gonna hit her back while Shik is watching..." I muttered aloud.

I, slowly, brought up the rear, listening in to conversation.

"Neko…" Naruto was saying, "You're really nice! I wish Sakura could be as nice as you are..."

_"Nice? Please..."_

I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the blush in her voice.

"Don't flatter me, Naruto."

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head and fell back to talk to me.

As Neko and Shikamaru began to plan strategies and other things, Naruto turned to me.

"I'm glad _she_ gets to come on this mission with us, aren't you, Kiba?!"

He asked, excitedly.

"As long as she doesn't get in my way." I replied simply, glaring at the long locks of hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

Naruto scoffed at me, "Geez… you're just mad because you got slapped."

I glared at him, not saying anything.

_"I AM mad. Of course I'm mad. I'm even more angry because I can't do anything about it at the moment..."_

Naruto's eyes widened, "…You're actually admitting to something?!"

I glared even more fiercely at him.

"No; just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I agree."

"Then answer the question!"

**Neko's POV**

I stood, firmly, next to Shikamaru.

"So, you're glad to have me on your team as your co-captain?"

He looked down at me, "I guess so. I mean, of course I'm glad I don't have to leave you alone, but… this one could be very dangerous, and I don't want you to even remotely be hurt…"

"But Shika,"

I tried to reason, trying to show him I'm not some little girl.

"I can hold my own. It's ok."

He continued to look at me, a thoughtful look on his face, but he stopped and patted me on the back.

"Alright then."

I looked back and saw Naruto and Kiba nearly attacking each other.

"You two need to calm down."

Kiba stopped choking Naruto.

"But blondie started it!"

"Just because I asked you a _question_ doesn't mean that I started something, idiot!"

I felt my eyes roll.

_"They're BOTH idiots."_

"I'm surprised the two of you can't get any more immature."

That broke the two of them apart, making them gape at me.

Smirking at them, I turned back around and kept walking forward, even though I knew Shikamaru had fallen behind.

Talon had jumped onto the soft, foresty floor and was clawing at leaves on the ground as we walked by them.

**Kiba's POV**

I felt myself stick Naruto with a glare.

_"He's giving pussy cat and her stupid cat even more reasons to mock me. Just listening to her talk is bad enough..."_

"What?" Naruto asked, returning the look I must have been giving him.

I huffed, closed my eyes, and started to walk ahead.

Shikamaru and Naruto must have been walking together behind me as I walked a couple of meters behind Neko and her stupid cat, Talon.

"If you ask me," Naruto's loud whisper to Shikamaru could be heard from where I was walking.

"I think Kiba actually cares what Neko says about him."

Shikamaru chuckled a bit, to my chagrin.

"You know, Naruto, I can actually see that."

I felt my eyebrows twitch. Why would I care what she says about me?

"I can hear you two idiots, you know!" My voice sounded more angry than usual as I turned to face the two of them with my temper blazing.

**Neko's POV**

I shook my head in exasperation; I could hear them talking about Kiba because Naruto had _no_ inside voice.

"So you're not going to deny it, Kiba?"

I turned around and said to him, point blank.

His head whipped around to face me and he froze in shock for a moment, but he regained his normal, cocky demeanor as he huffed;

"Actually, I couldn't care _less_ what you think about me, pussy cat."

I just turned and shrugged, keeping up my pace as Shikamaru joined me at the front again.

**That Evening...**

After an entire day of walking and not stopping, the sun was beginning to set beyond the trees.

_"Finally..."_

Shikamaru stopped and announced:

"We're going to stop here for the day."

Naruto automatically objected.

"Ah! Shik! Don't be stupid; if you haven't noticed, all of us can keep going for another hour or two!"

Kiba hit him over the head.

"Say anything else like that and you won't be able to go at _all_."

He sounded more angry than normal, and I was honestly confused on why.

Shikamaru shrugged, "It'd be smart to just stop and travel even _further_ tomorrow."

"You're the leader," Naruto muttered.

We searched for a moment until Naruto came across a little clearing.

After Akamaru had checked to make sure it was safe, Shikamaru sighed.

"Ok, Kiba and Neko, go and find us some water. Naruto, you're with me for setting up the tents."

I felt my eyes widen.

_"Why would Shika do this to me?!"_

I didn't _want_ to be stuck with him. It was a terrible punishment.

I felt my mouth open to protest, but Shikamaru waved me off as he handed Kiba four canteens to fill.

"I know it's a drag, but sometimes you just gotta do it."

My mouth shut and I took off to the left, whereas I noticed Kiba took off to the right.

"_HEY_!"

Shikamaru yelled at us both as we almost raced out of the clearing.

"It's safer for you two to go together."

Both of us groaned and Talon growled.

Kiba and I locked eyes for a moment, until he turned to follow me in the direction that _I_ was going.

As we ventured away from our campsite, Kiba fell into step next to me, although I could tell that it wasn't willingly.

"Why'd he stick you with _me_, pussy cat?" He asked, irritably.

I glared at him from the corner of my eye, feeling them slit ever so much. Talon wasn't much different; her tail was lashing back and forth.

_"I'm TRYING to make an effort to like him..."_

"I don't want this as much as you do."

Kiba sighed and growled.

"I just don't see why he cares _so_ much about you. If he wanted you to be safe or something, he should have sent you back. Not that I'd care; it'd be easier for _me_ if you died on this mission."

I flinched at that one.

_"Why would he say something like that? All I want to do is at least make it so we can stand being near each other without saying something negative for five minutes..."_

I turned my head to him, feeling my gray eyes widen in surprise.

"Maybe you're right."

Then, my eyes narrowed into slits as I said something I never thought I'd say:

"It'd be easier for _me_ if you died as well."

**Kiba's POV**

Anger.

That was the only emotion that I felt when she told me that.

My teeth were beginning to show. I knew it.

I wanted this bitch dead, and that was all that I cared about at the moment.

My hand lashed out at her neck, grabbing it with force.

I watched with satisfaction the pain that was beginning to show in her eyes.

"Let go," She told me, quietly.

_"Let go? Hell no. Not until your last breath leaves your miserable lungs..."_

Neko was now gasping for air, begging me. "Let me go, Kiba…"

I felt a smile crawl up my face as I watched more pain enter eyes.

Akamaru suddenly sharply barked at me, telling me to let her go.

I glanced down at the little dog that was circling my feet.

"Why would I do that, boy?"

_"Because... you'll be killed if something happens to her."_

Akamaru was barking back up at me, and I couldn't help but admit that he was right.

I let Neko go.

She fell to the ground, holding her neck.

I looked down at my hands, which were pale from the effort to have a firm grip on her neck.

_"I was this close to killing her. This close."_

Neko was looking up at me with an expression that looked a lot like pain.

"W-why would you... do something... like that...?"

Neko stammered, clearly out of breath.

I was taken aback by this question; I actually had no idea why I had done what I had just done.

_"It was all anger." _I thought.

She was backing away from me.

"Don't piss me off anymore, pussy cat."

My voice still sounded more angry than I actually was. If anything, I was surprised I had done that.

_"As much as I can't stand her... why would I... try to kill her?"_

That's when I felt sudden pain hit face as I recoiled for a moment.

_"Bitch."_

**Neko's POV**

Letting my anger get the best of me for a moment, I let loose and felt my fist connect with Kiba's face.

_"Bad idea."_

My conscience was already warning me about my stupid decision.

Kiba recovered from the hit within a moment, and when he looked back up at me, he snarled, "That's it!"

He took a step toward me, but I wasn't intimidated. At least, I wasn't until I saw the look in his eyes. The intent to kill was there in plain sight.

I backed up for a moment, but it didn't do anything to help me as he crossed the distance between us in two steps.

He grabbed my sleeve and clenched it in his fist, his eyes blazing.

"Pussy cat, I'm this fucking close to killing you."

My stupid mouth got me in trouble again as I muttered.

"You can't do that... we still have to get Shika some water for the camp..."

But his eyes narrowed as he glared at me.

"Whatever."

He pushed me as he let go of my sleeve, but the last thing I remember is seeing him turn away from me and Talon jump onto his leg.

**Kiba's POV**

I glared at her stupid face, feeling my eyes narrow.

I watched as her eyes went from normal to annoyingly wide and almost scared.

"Tch."

Swiftly, I thrust her backward, letting go of her sleeve and pushing her toward a tree.

"Whatever. Fine."

A low growl could be heard by her stupid cat.

"Damn, cat. Fuck off."

I tried to shake it off of my leg, but the cat wasn't giving in. It looked pissed beyond anything I've ever seen.

Akamaru barked up at me.

_"...You threw Neko into a tree. She's unconscious."_

I growled, feeling a little guilty.

"Dammit; I didn't mean to throw her _that _hard…" I muttered aloud.

Talon had jumped onto my hoodie and began trying to claw me to pieces.

I struggled for a moment, but I finally pried the cat off of me. It went back over to settle down beside Neko, who was lying against the tree.

"Let's go find some water," I said to Akamaru.

_"I don't care whether pussy cat is ok or not. She deserved it."_

No matter how many times I said that, though, I still felt guilty.

Akamaru barked up at me.

_"What about her?!"_

He was gesturing to Neko's body and Talon sitting beside her.

I glanced at Neko for a moment.

"What _about_ her?! She pissed me off and she deserved it."

Akamaru bit me in the leg, telling me to stop and think about my actions.

_"How could you say something like that?! Even though she's an Inari, you didn't have to do that."_

I rolled his eyes, annoyed now.

"Fine, I'll bring her back to camp, but you're taking care of the damn cat."

_"Deal."_ Akamaru shrugged and stopped Talon from lashing out at me as I attempted to lift Neko from the cold ground.

I picked Neko up into my arms, her head falling against my right bicep.

Honestly, she looked like she was asleep.

I whispered to myself, standing there to observe her for a second.

"She's easier to get along with when she's not talking or showing any sign of life..."

I tried to glare at her face, but I couldn't; she looked too peaceful... almost like it was impossible to hate her. Not when her face was like that.

Akamaru barked at Talon as they started walking toward the sound of rushing water, and then he barked at me:

_"Talon and I actually don't mind each other."_

I said, trying to seem polite even though I didn't really care.

"Good for you."

I walked all the way to a stream, which was where the sound of water had been coming from.

As we arrived, I laid Neko up against a tree, and watched as Talon settled down next to her.

_"I hope it's nothing serious... I don't plan on dying young..."_

I shook in my jacket thinking about what Naruto would do to me. I had known for a long time now that Naruto had always had something going for Neko, and it was kind of annoying how he followed her around like a lost puppy.

But thinking about what Shik would do to me... I shook my head, trying to shake the thought.

_"I'd die for sure."_

After getting water for everyone in the canteens, I couldn't resist requesting something of Akamaru:

"We should get in the water!"

Akamaru barked happily.

_"Ok!"_

Then, as I stripped off my jacket, I jumped in, cooling off from the exhausting day.

**Neko's POV**

I slowly woke up, feeling a stinging pain in my neck and on my head.

"Ouch..."

I whispered to myself, feeling my hand make it's way to my head, then down to my neck, examining the damage.

That's when my blurry vision started to go back to normal and I began to remember exactly what had happened earlier.

"It can't be too much later… where's-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence.

Kiba was in the water in front of me, bare from the neck to his abs as far as I could tell, and was playing with Akamaru.

He looked over at me as I started attempting to stand up.

"Hey, pussy cat,"

He called from where he was.

I looked over to him, a challenge present in my eyes as he continued:

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing?' I'm getting up."

My voice sounded out of breath, and Kiba climbed out of the water, picking up his jacket as he shook his head and went over to me.

"I'd stay put if I was you."

He advised, giving me a look that resembled a glare.

"Why would I do that?" I asked.

_"Why the hell would I stay in one place with this guy?"_

"Because you just woke up from being unconscious and you'll probably fall and hurt yourself."

I couldn't help but notice the almost-bored look he was giving me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Since when do you care about _me_, Kiba?"

Completely ignoring his advice, I stood up in front of him and glared into his eyes, hoping for some sort of reaction related to surprise.

He looked calmly into mine, shaking his head and smirking. "You're just going to fall."

I snorted, "No, not really. Let's get back to camp."

Putting my right foot forward, I took an uncertain step. Next was my left, easy enough, but then I fell.

Kiba just sat back and had his arms crossed over his chest like he had something better to do.

I turned to him, dumbfounded at the smirk on his face.

"Why didn't you help me?"

He shrugged. "Eh, I tried. Telling you that you shouldn't get up didn't work, pussy cat."

I felt a growl breed in my throat.

_"What an asshole; he didn't even apologize for knocking me out!"_

Kiba started to zip up his jacket, and after that he walked up to me and crouched by me.

"The hell do you want?" I asked, muttering.

"I'm carrying you back."

He announced as he lifted me off the ground.

"Put me down!" I screeched.

Kiba dropped me onto the ground, making me gasp.

"Fine. Keep up or I'm gonna leave you here."

He began to run away from her, and I tried to follow but I couldn't find the strength to get up.

Akamaru barked sharply, and Kiba looked back and snorted when his eyes met mine.

"Pussy cat, c'mon; I just want to get away from you, but I can't leave you here because the others would blame me for anything that happened to you..."

I just stared at Kiba; he really _was_ mean.

_"Can't we EVER just get along without hurting each other?"_

"At least he's even _WAITING_ for me…"

I thought as I struggled to get to my feet.

I looked around frantically for Talon, and saw that she was walking alongside Akamaru as if they had been friends for a while.

"Good that they get along." I muttered to myself, attempting for a second time to be able to stand on my own two feet.

I nearly fell, feeling completely embarrassed and stupid, but Kiba was by my side in a moment.

Right before I had fallen, he had caught me and growled, "Like I said, I'm carrying you."

With that, he picked me up and I heard my voice as I began to yell at him:

"Let me go! Put me down! Ugh, I don't need help! Not from you!"

I could literally _hear_ Kiba roll his eyes, "The faster we get back to camp, the faster I'll be able to get away from you."

Neko looked up at him with fake sad eyes.

_"Maybe... we'll be able to get along on this mission if I trick him. He's not that smart as it is..."_

"Oh, so you _don't_ like me?" I made my voice sound tiny and helpless, and he looked down at me from my place in his arms.

Huffing, Kiba growled.

"No, I _don't_ like you. In fact, I don't even know _why_ I'm helping you at the moment."

I glared at him, feeling my eyes slitting again.

"So, does this mean that if I was in trouble, you'd do nothing to help?"

"That's exactly right, pussy cat. You've got Shikamaru to protect you, not me."

He said it with such spite that I smiled.

"You're jealous… aren't you?"

Kiba glared at me through narrowed eyes.

"Bitch, please. Why would I be jealous of him? Why would I want _anything_ to do with you?"

I hit him again in the face.

"Don't _ever_ call me a bitch, Kiba."

He dropped me again, walking around me.

"I don't want to have to choke you again."

I snapped from my place on the ground at his retreating back:

"I bet that's exactly what you want; to kill me."

Kiba stopped for a moment, then turned to glare at me, his eyes peircing me.

"If you hit me anymore, then yeah, that'll be my first priority."

I sighed, "Ok then. But I can't promise I won't if you keep being a total asshole."

Kiba kept staring at me like he was going to kill me with his eyes, but he exhaled sharply and growled.

"Well, if you're coming with me, then come on, because I'm _not_ helping you this time."

It took me a moment, but I did it.

When I finally stood on my own two feet, I took a step, and Kiba looked at my feet and then to my face.

"C'mon."

He turned and began to walk at a normal pace.

I tried taking a step or two, but when I discovered that I could walk just fine now, I caught up with him.

I hadn't noticed that he was carrying water in canteens around his neck, and I stared at them for a moment.

As if he knew, Kiba glanced down at me.

"It's just enough to keep us going for tonight."

I nodded and the two of us kept going on in silence.

_"If this is what the entire mission is going to be like... then... we'll be able to be on good terms for sure!"_

Kiba suddenly muttered, "Listen... I'm sorry about what happened back there. It was because I was angry for a second and I didn't know what I was thinking."

I was frozen for a moment, confused that he would _actually_ say he was sorry, but I took it. Not once had he _ever_ apologized, but he also had never choked me when he got angry with me. Usually he'd just push me or storm away.

_"It's as if he's going to treat me like a human being!"_

I nodded, and he nodded back, and the awkward silence began for only about a minute.

"Naruto seems to have taken a liking to you."

With the sentence, I couldn't help but blush.

"Yeah, I've noticed. He's a sweet guy."

**Kiba's POV**

I felt some sort of emotion sting me. I don't even know what it was, only that it hit the area where my heart was and it hurt right there. I went on anyway:

"He tells me when you're not around that he likes you. And exactly why he likes you is because he thinks you're really nice and open to people."

I recited as if he was reading a book. I knew this kind of thing by heart: Naruto couldn't stop talking about her and ramen. It was always the same thing, too; how much he liked her and what he'd do for some courage to ask her out.

Honestly, I couldn't help but notice that Neko's blush had deepened.

"Oh… he's so nice to me. He compliments me all of the time and seems to enjoy being around me as a whole."

She smiled, which made me snort.

"What?!"

Neko asked, glaring at me.

"Just because I _may_ like him back doesn't mean that you have to get all jealous, Kiba."

My face must have gotten even more red than the triangles on my cheeks.

I felt my eyes narrow in anger and frustration at her relentless attitude and growled.

"I'm not jealous. That fox can _have_ you. I couldn't give less of a shit about you and him being together. It doesn't concern me."

Neko sighed, not seeming convinced. "Hmm."

We walked back to camp quietly, and at one point, my hand brushed hers by mistake, which had made her giggle and smile, but I just snatched my hand away and growled.

When we finally got back, the first thing that I felt was a kunai at my neck.

"What do you think you're playing at? I saw what you did!"

Shikamaru's angry voice could be heard behind me.

_"Oh shit..."_

* * *

Intense. This particular chapter took a LONG time to re-do. I hope it's easier to understand :D


	4. The First Night

_Flashback:_

_When we finally got back, the first thing that I felt was a kunai at my neck._

_"What do you think you're playing at? I saw what you did!"_

_Shikamaru's angry voice could be heard behind me._

_"Oh shit..."_

Chapter 4: The First Night

**Kiba's POV**

Obviously, I didn't know what Shik had seen me do, but I think I had a pretty good idea.

_"Shit."_

I snarled in my head.

_"How am I gonna explain THIS one?! He'll NEVER let me live it down… not to mention NARUTO…"_

Shikamaru's breath tickled the back of my neck, making my hair stand on end.

"I saw you push her into the tree. You really think you're going to get away with that?"

"Shika, stop!"

Neko's annoying voice exclaimed over the sound of my heart pounding against my chest.

"He didn't mean to push me. He actually saved me from falling into a hole in the ground but I didn't regain my balance fast enough and I knocked myself out!"

My eyes opened wide.

_"Why would she defend me like that?"_

Shikamaru stopped and backed away from me and nodded to her, and glared back to me.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Neko's face looked unusually serious as she glared at Shikamaru.

"Ok, then."

I couldn't help but notice how angry Shikamaru still looked, and when he turned to Neko, all of his anger melted away as she rolled her eyes.

"You just need to calm down, Shika. I'm fine."

Shikamaru just walked away, "Ok, I'm calm."

I turned to Neko, feeling my eyes widen again.

"Thanks, pussy cat," I managed to tell her.

**Neko's POV**

I don't know what possessed me to help Kiba out when it came to Shika. Most would probably call it some kind of instinct or something, though, as I did it without a second thought.

When he muttered a thanks to me, I thought I was in a different world.

_"He's... saying thank you as well?! Maybe he's got the same thoughts; that we should be getting along..."_

Almost not being able to answer, I nodded.

"Yeah, sure. I didn't want him to get involved in something that's long over."

To me, Kiba looked almost confused as he stared at me for a moment longer, and his head jerked right as Naruto approached us.

"Hey, guys! What's the haps?"

I looked down at my feet to see Akamaru and Talon sitting side-by-side, staring up at Kiba and I wordlessly.

_"What?"_ I mouthed to Talon, but her tail kept waving in a warning manner. Obviously, though, she probably wasn't going to tell me why.

Kiba had turned to Naruto.

"Nothing... just chatting, I guess. You mind taking these to Shik?"

He held out the canteens of water, and Naruto took them gradually.

"Yeah, sure. Hard to believe the two of you... chatting peacefully. And,"

Naruto turned to me and smiled.

"Neko! Heh, um..." I couldn't help but notice he was scratching his cheek nervously.

When he didn't speak for five seconds, Kiba grabbed him in a headlock.

"If you're gonna say something, say it. We don't have all day."

Naruto dropped the canteens, making all of the water spill.

Kiba's mouth dropped open, as did mine.

_"What an idiot... both of them..."_

Before a fight could break out, I grabbed them.

"I'll get more water," My voice was unnaturally dry as I grabbed Talon and swiftly walked toward the river.

_"...Idiots. If they're not careful, we might get killed because of them one day..."_

Talon looked up at me, meowing and asking if I was going to keep trying to get Kiba to see me on a human level.

"Yeah, because if he doesn't, it's either the end of me or it's the end of this mission. I don't think I could take it if the same thing happened every day for a month and a half..."

We reached the river, and as I steadily filled up the canteens, a voice could be heard from behind me.

"I saw it with my own eyes. Kiba hurt you on purpose, didn't he?"

Talon's fur was on end as was the hair on the back of my neck. I turned to see Shikamaru walking toward me, looking kind of irritated.

"N-no...!" I muttered, but Shikamaru wasn't buying it.

"If you don't want him to hurt you, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything anymore. Ok?"

I shook my head.

"It was an accident, and he apologized anyway."

Shikamaru didn't look satisfied as he turned.

"Fine. Next time he does something like that, though, I'll kick his ass. I'll be walking at a slow pace, so catch up when you're done."

With that, though, he vanished.

"..."

I stared into space, thinking angrily.

_"Why does he think I'm helpless? He trained me HIMSELF so I could become a Shinobi. I'm more than capable of staying out of trouble and taking care of myself!"_

**Kiba's POV**

I pulled Naruto over to the corner of the camp.

"If you want to tell her how you feel, grow some balls, man!"

Naruto squirmed in my grasp.

"Ah, I tried! But I dropped the damn canteens and... well..."

I let go of him, Akamaru barking furiously for me to stop choking people.

"I'm not very good at this kind of thing! Ok?!"

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation, closing my eyes.

_"This guy is more of an idiot than I originally thought."_

"Listen," I looked Naruto in the eyes.

"It's not that hard. All you have to do is act like nothing is scaring the shit out of you, and you have to... well... I guess be nice around her. Don't be nervous."

Naruto stared at me.

"...It's hard not being nervous. Neko gives me... these feelings. I dunno, butterflies I guess!"

_"Who the hell in their right mind would feel anything like that for pussy cat?"_

Akamaru barked, and I looked up to see Shikamaru leaving the camp, hands in his pockets.

"What is he doing?" I asked out loud without meaning to.

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru's retreating back.

"He's probably going to go find Neko..." After he said her name, though, Naruto paused.

There was an awkward silence as he stared at me, until I finally asked:

"...What?"

"Even... saying her _name_ gives me goosebumps!"

I had to admit, Naruto looked stressed.

_"Damn, all this over... pussy cat."_

I shook my head, sticking my hands in my pockets.

"Sorry man; if that's the case, I can't help you."

"Why not?!"

"Because... I don't like pussy cat."

Naruto glared at me.

"You've never _once_ called her by her name!"

I stared back, calmly.

"Yeah, I know. Why?"

He seemed to get even more angry every second.

"Why the hell are you such an ass to her?! What'd she do to you?"

Akamaru looked up at me and barked:

_"I was wondering the same thing."_

I shook my head.

"Pussy cat is just... annoying. I can't stand her."

As if mentioning her called her to us, she and Shikamaru walked through the trees, each carrying two canteens. Talon was at her feet, her green eyes glowing some sort of a challenge as she spotted Akamaru and I.

Almost as if I wasn't even there, Naruto ran to her, which made me snort to myself.

"What a love-sick puppy."

_"Yeah," _Akamaru barked in agreement.

I watched as Naruto grabbed her by her free hand and began dragging her over to the area where they'd be camping out.

"C'mon; Shikamaru and I made this _awesome_ fire-pit..."

As Naruto dragged her away, Talon following at a slow pace, Shikamaru moved toward him, looking almost pissed off.

_"Aww, man..."_

**Neko's POV**

I don't think I've ever seen Naruto so happy to see me as he dragged me toward his so-called 'awesome' fire-pit.

Although, I couldn't help but notice Shika walking toward Kiba, anger in his posture.

_"Poor Kiba..."_

Akamaru was staring at me, but not _at_ me. More like... at my legs. I looked down, but Talon was staring back, flicking her tail.

Naruto continued as he let go of my arm.

"I think this is the best one we've ever made, Shik and I!"

Honestly, his humor soothed me.

"I would be surprised if it wasn't." I felt a smile crawl up my face.

Before anything else could be done, though, Shikamaru and Kiba walked toward us. "Let's go get the fire started."

**Kiba's POV**

So, after Shikamaru shouted at me, I walked back to where Naruto and pussy cat were sitting.

_"Tch."_

I was, honestly, pretty pissed off. Pussy cat normally gets on my nerves, but not nearly as much as she did before I decided to choke the life out of her.

_"That bitch is lucky I didn't do anything else to her."_

Naruto was standing around her, looking joyful to be near her.

_"I suppose it's only right... there would need to be a special person to be with Naruto."_

While Shikamaru worked on getting the fire started, I sat down next to Naruto who sat in between pussy cat and I.

"Talon and Akamaru seem to be getting along!"

Naruto commented as the three of us looked over at them. The animals were sitting close to each other, as if they were communicating or something.

_"Is he going to betray me?!"_

I thought furiously as I watched Akamaru and Talon settle down by Shikamaru's feet.

I stared at the sight, aimlessly, until I saw a spark out of the corner of my eye and Shikamaru sat back.

"So, I want to ask you all… how was your guys' first day on this mission?" He asked, lying down and looking up at the stars.

Naruto laughed, although I couldn't help but notice he glanced at Neko.

"The best! It's _great_ to finally be out on a brand new mission, this time it's _super_ important!"

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and we get to get away from the village for a while."

Shikamaru looked at pussy cat, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"Neko?"

She looked up from looking at the ground and stared at the fire.

"It feels so great to finally feel important for once."

Shikamaru looked at her with a look that I didn't understand; as if he was worried or something.

Naruto took her hand and smiled brightly.

"It's alright, Neko. You've _always_ been important to lots of people, _especially_ Shik here!"

Shikamaru smiled, "True, Naruto, true."

Neko smiled at them both, and then turned to look at me with eyes that looked lost.

"Kiba, do you think... _I'm_... important?"

**Neko's POV**

I don't know what had possessed me to do such a thing; asking Kiba, who _undoubtedly_ hated me, if I was important.

_"Why did I do that? If anything, it's not going to help us become comrades."_

He stared at me for a long moment, then looked away and huffed.

"No, pussy cat. You're not important to me. To everyone else, sure, you are, but not to me."

I stared at him for a second.

_"His eyes... they're different."_

Indeed they were; instead of their angry-looking selves, they looked blank. Almost as if he couldn't think at that very second.

Suddenly, his gaze snapped toward me.

"What?"

His eyes were back to their normal, mean-looking selves and I could tell that he was getting angry just from looking at me.

"...Sorry."

I tore my eyes away from his, wondering why his eyes had changed.

_"What'd I do?! Why did his eyes change into an emotion that I've never seen him have before?"_

**Kiba's POV**

Don't ask me why, but I regretted snapping at pussy cat the way that I did.

_"I can't go ten minutes without her doing SOMETHING that annoys me, whether it's looking at me to breathing. Damn, she's annoying."_

I noticed that Naruto glared at me from the corner of my eye.

"What?"

I asked him, wondering why he'd look at me like that. That's when it hit me:

_"Oh yeah... he's still pretty pissed about me being an ass to pussy cat. I think I'm treating her rather nicely compared to what my mother might do."_

Naruto stopped glaring at me when I returned it, and glanced at Neko, who was looking up at me.

"Why are you still staring at me, pussy cat?"

I growled almost without thinking about it.

"S-sorry!"

Neko put her hands in front of her face in defense, and I felt automatically guilty.

_"She thinks I'm going to try to choke her again."_

However, though, I'm guilty of my guilt: she deserved what she was given. At least, that's what _I_ think.

Deep in thought, I narrowed my eyes and turned to Shikamaru on a completely different matter.

"Ok, we need to set up shifts for who's gonna take watch tonight."

Shikamaru snorted, staring up at the night sky.

"Already done. I'll take the first one, Naruto is second, you're third, and Neko is last."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering how he could have everything planned out so fast, and asked:

"Ok, then. Intervals?"

"Four hours."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and laughed, "Seems like you've got this all planned out, Shik!"

"Yeah, well," Shikamaru said, looking down and smirking. "It's a drag, but I try to think of it as a game of Shogi."

I glanced to my right to see Naruto scratching his cheek, AGAIN, and looking nervous.

Irritated, I snorted, "Ok, well, I'm gonna go get some sleep, if you all don't mind."

I got up and began walking toward my tent, which had been set up by Shikamaru, and that's when I noticed Akamaru wasn't following me.

I looked back; Akamaru was sitting with Talon.

_"That little traitor,"_

I snarled in my head.

_"Sitting with the enemy. Fine, let him sit there, but if he comes into the tent smelling like cat, then he's not allowed to sleep in there!"_

I turned and walked into my tent, stripping myself of my jacket, shoes, and headband.

Lying down on my sleeping bag, I was in deep thought for a moment.

_"This mission is going to be hell. Trying to control my anger around pussy cat when Shik and/or Naruto is watching... I don't know if I'll be able to do it. Maybe if she'd stop being annoying for five minutes, it'd be easier."_

Sighing, I rolled over onto my side.

I could hear Naruto's voice; he was in the middle of telling Neko the story about the Sasuke Retrieval mission that we had three years ago.

_"How embarrassing... Akamaru and I almost lost to Sakon and Ukon. If it wasn't for Kankuro..."_

I rolled over again, peering through the small crack at the entrance of the tent.

Shikamaru was sitting up, Naruto and Neko sitting beside each other.

Naruto suddenly asked, turning to Neko:

"So... how'd you... you know... decide to come to Konoha? Did you get lost or something?"

_"I've wondered that a couple of times myself... if she hadn't come here, maybe..."_

But I didn't finish my thought: Neko was staring at Naruto blankly, but she stood up and walked toward her tent without saying anything.

Confused, I got to my knees to peer out of the entrance even more.

Shikamaru was shaking his head, and Naruto was gazing at Neko's tent, looking as confused as I was.

Talon had jumped away from Akamaru and was trotting toward Neko's tent, her tail flicking in the most annoying way...

Shikamaru was talking now.

"Now you've done it, Naruto..."

"I didn't... know..."

Naruto was staring at her tent, and, although I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was... upset.

"I know. Just... don't ask that question. It's a sensitive topic."

_"Sensitive, huh?"_

I fell back onto my sleeping bag.

_"I wonder... what DID happen to pussy cat?"_

I fell into sleep within moments, not even able to realize how tired I was.

* * *

Not bad, not bad. This is actually becoming really easy to understand :) Rate/Review!


	5. First Night Watch

_Flashback:_

_Naruto was staring at her tent, and, although I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was... upset._

_"I know. Just... don't ask that question. It's a sensitive topic."_

_"Sensitive, huh?"_

_I fell back onto my sleeping bag._

_"I wonder... what DID happen to pussy cat?"_

_I fell into sleep within moments, not even able to realize how tired I was._

Chapter 5: First Night Watch

**Kiba's POV**

I woke up to someone prodding my shoulder.

My eyes shot open and I could barely make out Naruto looming over me.

"Hey, hey Kiba! Wake up!"

I rolled over, kicking his leg.

"Naruto! Idiot, what the hell are you waking me up for?!"

Naruto just snorted and he whispered loudly.

"It's your _watch,_ dumbass. Now go out there so _I_ can get some sleep, and _you_ don't wake everyone in the camp up with your loud voice!"

His figure disappeared from my line of sight. Naruto was gone.

"_Ugh,"_ I thought, slowly getting up.

_"My watch… I forgot. I'd rather not but… Shikamaru would kick my ass if he found out that I didn't do it."_

As I got up, I woke up Akamaru as well. Thankfully, though, he didn't smell like cat.

The two of us walked out into the clearing, which was bathing in the unusually bright moonlight.

"Man, Akamaru; look at this. Beautiful, isn't it?" I muttered, still half-asleep.

Akamaru barked back.

"_Maybe so, but not even close to as beautiful as a big juicy bone would be back home!"_

This comment made me laugh a bit, "You miss home, huh?"

Akamaru visibly shrugged.

A small bug fluttered by Akamaru's nose, which made him begin to continuously nip at it.

I began to laugh at him, which sparked a reaction that wasn't particularly happy from Akamaru, making him attack me.

"Get off me, boy!"

I growled, trying to keep quiet.

"If we don't shut up, then _everyone's_ gonna wake up. I can barely stand being _anywhere_ near pussy cat and her damn demon cat _alone_, but if she wakes up, she'll claw _both_ of us. Trust me, I know _you_ don't want that, and _I_ don't want that either! So shh!"

Akamaru shrugged and sat down, obeying me.

_"Well, Talon isn't a demon. She's rather nice, actually."_

The two of us had a heart-to-heart conversation, like the ones that you would have with a best friend, and we _all_ know how time flies when you're having fun.

Soon, before I knew it, I looked up and saw that the moon was positioned in a way that told me that four hours had passed and my shift was over.

_"Finally,"_ I sighed.

"Now we can get some sleep before we have to get a move on in the morning, boy."

Akamaru barked, gesturing toward Neko's tent. _"Yeah, but we still have to wake Neko and Talon for THEIR watch."_

I snorted at the mentioning of pussy cat.

"Tch; pussy cat… doesn't she irritate you, boy?"

Akamaru looked around, thinking, and then barked, his tail wagging.

_"Not really. She's bearable to me."_

I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Really? I dunno _where_ you get your tolerance, buddy, but I sure don't have it. Let's just go get this over with…"

I sighed heavily and started off toward Neko's tent; it reeked of cat to me.

For a moment, I stood outside of the tent, until Akamaru whimpered, trying to stay quiet:

_"What are you waiting for?"_

I snapped out of it and looked down at him.

"I dunno; thinking of comebacks that I could say if she insults me when I wake her up."

Akamaru shrugged, yet again, and the two of us continued in.

Neko was sleeping, peacefully, and Talon was curled up in a ball near her head.

Honestly, I didn't really want to wake her up.

Hesitating, I knelt down beside her and shook her shoulder, softly at first.

"C'mon pussy cat; your turn."

But when all she did was stretch unconsciously and roll around, I shook her with force, waking her up.

"W-what do _you_ want, dog?" She asked, groggily.

I sighed, exasperated.

"It's your turn to take watch."

Neko slowly stood up, her gray eyes glowing in the night.

"Oh… it's that time already?"

I growled, feeling the normal anger that accompanied talking to her.

"Yes, pussy cat. Now go and sit out there so I can go get some sleep!"

I could tell that what I had just said had made her angry, as her eyes slit and she asked:

"What is your _problem_, Kiba?! Honestly, it's like I'm some sort of nuisance to you!"

I smirked, almost laughing; she was absolutely correct.

"That's _exactly_ right, pussy cat. Thanks for realizing that."

**Neko's POV**

_"Why is he such an asshole?!"_

I thought, angrily.

I tried grabbing him by what I _thought _would be his jacket, but then I noticed that he didn't even have it on, I quickly backed away.

Kiba looked at me incredulously after that little stunt and asked, "What the hell was _that_?! Are you trying to grope me or something?!"

My eyes slit even more than they already had.

"No! Hell no! Why don't you just leave and go to bed? That way, I'll stop being such a _nuisance_ to you, and we'll _both_ be happy that way."

I pushed past him, feeling almost triumphant underneath my anger as I walked into the clearing with Talon on my heels.

Honestly, though, I was _furious_ about what Kiba had said and how rude he had been.

As soon as I sat down, I felt a certain lump in my throat.

"No…" I whispered to myself.

"Don't cry. If he sees you cry it's all over. He'll never be able to see you the same way again, and he'll never let you live it down. Don't cry…"

But the more I begged myself, the more tears fell down my cheeks.

I buried my face in my hands as I felt Talon rub her body against my side, trying to comfort me. Unfortunately, I couldn't answer her back.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me, "Neko?"

I turned around and made out the shadow of Naruto behind me.

"Oh… hello, Naruto," I managed to choke out.

"I didn't see you there."

Naruto seemed to be staring worriedly at me.

"Hi, Neko… what's the matter?"

He sat down next to me.

"N-nothing…"

I whispered.

_"I'm just... crying for no reason. No big deal..."_

Naruto, easily, saw straight through this and growled.

"Why are you crying? Did Kiba say something…?"

"No. No, he didn't. He didn't do anything. Don't worry about it, Naruto."

I cut him off without hesitating.

_"Why would I do something like that?" _

I asked myself, feeling confused and angry.

_"All he DOES is hurt my feelings… and I at least TRY to be nice to him… yet, every single time he does something, I can defend him without flinching if someone asks about it…"_

My waterworks were stopping and Naruto was now sitting rather close to me, and Talon glaring at him from her new spot on my lap.

"You know," the blonde haired ninja started, rather quietly.

"I don't mind at all staying here and letting you sleep. I just woke up from a nightmare, and I don't think I can go back to sleep anyway."

I stared, incredulously, at him; was he _serious?_

_"He doesn't have to do that..."_

"N-naruto… wh-what was your nightmare about?"

_"Dammit,"_ I cursed myself as soon as I finished my sentence.

_"It's as if my voice doesn't want to come to me…"_

Naruto just stared at me.

"I was outside of my own body as I was turning into the Kyuubi. I destroyed everyone I ever cared about; I destroyed Konoha."

With those few words, my tears were coming back.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." I muttered, feeling terrible.

_"If I had a dream like that..."_ I shivered.

He turned to me and smiled, his white teeth glistening in the moonlight.

"It's alright, Neko! I'll just forget about it by tomorrow. I'll mull it over while I'm taking your shift."

I stared at him even harder now.

"Do you… really want to? You know… want to stay up for another 3 and a half hours…"

Naruto just smiled a very caring smile. "Sure." He took my hand, caressing it carefully for a moment, and continued, "Go back to bed, Neko. I got it."

Surprised, I nodded as he smiled even wider and dropped my hand.

"Goodnight," He muttered, staring up at the sky. "Goodnight... N-naruto..." I stammered, standing up with Talon at my feet.

She meowed at me, telling me how nice Naruto was.

"I... know."

I started toward my tent when I noticed Kiba standing awkwardly in front of it.

_"Why would he stand there for thirty minutes?..." _I asked myself, but I instantly knew why; eavesdropping.

_"Asshole."_

I didn't want to talk to him; all he was going to do was verbally abuse me again, like normal.

Then, I thought of what I had just told Naruto, and how angry he'd be if he found out that I had just lied to him.

_"I have to at least ACT like nothing went on between Kiba and I just now..."_

"Hello, Kiba," I whispered as I approached him, trying not to show any kind of emotion.

He was just staring me down without any particular emotion on his face.

Then, he suddenly looked up at the moon, and then to Naruto, his eyes narrowing when he saw him, then he looked back at me.

"What do you need, pussy cat?" He said, sounding like he was talking to a normal person this time.

"Uh, um… nothing… you're just…"

I stopped myself, unable to get anymore words out.

_"Why am I being like this?! First, I can't stop crying, and now I can't talk straight to anyone... especially when I'm TRYING to act tough!" _

However, Kiba was still staring at me with unreadable eyes, and that worried me; he was usually an open book, easy to read, but now… he was like a completely different person.

"Um... can-can I... go into my tent?"

Kiba stared at me, still, for a long moment, then he walked away, across the clearing, toward his tent.

I sighed; couldn't we, even _once_, get along?

Talon meowed at me, saying nothing in particular because it was more like a yawn, and I laughed.

"You're tired, too, huh?"

Talon just glared at me and walked into our tent.

I took one last look around, and saw an unlikely sight; Kiba was looking back at me again. Just as I was about to wonder why, he smirked and snorted gently, and went inside his tent.

"_I wonder what THAT was all about…"_ I thought as I retreated into my safehaven.

**Kiba's POV**

Just as I was about to go and follow Neko out of her tent, I felt a sharp pain in my right foot.

"Dammit," I growled as I looked down, only to find Akamaru biting my foot.

"What's the matter, boy?"

I asked, feeling my face creasing in worry.

Akamaru looked up at me and barked furiously:

_"You don't HAVE to be so mean to her just because she's an Inari and you're an Inuzuka. Sure, I'm not really a cat person myself, the only ok cat that I know is Talon, but I at least TRY to be nicer."_

I snorted, "As if I'd be nice to _her._ She's a fucking _cat_, Akamaru. A _cat._ I can't deal with her. We're destined to fight non-stop _regardless_, so why not make it fun?"

As I walked out of her tent, I watched her and her stupid cat sit down in the middle of the clearing and glance up at the moon for a moment.

Confused, I took a step toward her, but stopped when I heard her soft cries as she buried her face into her hands.

_"Is she... crying?"_ I asked myself, clenching my fist.

Sitting there, guiltily, I watched her cry softly for several minutes.

As mean as I may seem, I hate when I make _anyone_ cry, whether it's my best friend or someone like her.

That's when Naruto came up to her and started talking to her about something, then I heard it:

"Why are you crying? Did Kiba say something-"

_"Why do they always blame me when she has something to be upset about?"_

I thought, irritated.

But she stopped him by telling him that I didn't do anything.

_"She's gotta stop defending me like that,"_ I smirked, but I don't know why.

That's when he told her something along the lines of taking her shift so she could sleep.

My mouth went agape for a moment.

_"...Why... would he... do that?"_

After a moment, she stood up and began heading toward him.

When asked, I moved out of her way, making my way toward my own tent.

_"Hmm."_

I turned, and I suddenly saw Neko talking to Talon.

I couldn't help but stare as she looked completely normal; it was as if she hadn't been crying at all.

_"Man," _I thought, angrily.

_"I can't BELIEVE I made her cry. I know I can be kind of mean sometimes, but to make her cry…"_

Not that I really gave a shit about her feelings, but making people cry made me feel guilty.

_"I don't know what the hell I said to make her cry, but I'll try not to do it again."_

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at pussy cat and her annoying cat, until she turned around and met my eyes with hers.

I felt her eyes, narrowed and guarded, on me, and he thought:

_"Why would she look at me like that? It's as if I'm an enemy; not even a comrade…"_

Then, I nodded, realizing what this meant.

_"Maybe because I'm not a comrade; we're destined to be enemies, no matter what I do or what she does. Tch… pussy cat…"_

I smirked, snorting slightly, turning on my heel and walked into my tent, feeling the confused, yet oddly soothing gaze of Neko on my back all the way there.

* * *

Coming along nicely. Rate/Review! :)


	6. A Broken Team

_Flashback:_

_For a moment, I just stood there, staring at pussy cat and her annoying cat, until she turned around and met my eyes with hers._

_I felt her eyes, narrowed and guarded, on me, and he thought:_

_"Why would she look at me like that? It's as if I'm an enemy; not even a comrade…"_

_Then, I nodded, realizing what this meant._

_"Maybe because I'm not a comrade; we're destined to be enemies, no matter what I do or what she does. Tch… pussy cat…"_

_I smirked, snorting slightly, turning on my heel and walked into my tent, feeling the confused, yet oddly soothing gaze of Neko on my back all the way there._

Chapter 6: A Broken Team

**Neko's POV**

"Psst! Neko! Wake up! C'mon… I thought _you_ were supposed to take the last watch!"

I woke up feeling tired beyond belief, and the first person I saw this morning was none other than Shikamaru.

"Oh… hi Shika. I'm sorry… Naruto offered to take it for me."

Shikamaru rolled his lazy eyes, "Yeah, I _know_. He's tired, I can tell, but he's Naruto; he can handle it."

I suddenly felt _horrible_; I should have done my _own_ watch, and I _knew_ it.

_"But I won't let it happen again,"_ I thought.

Shikamaru smiled, kindly, at me now.

"Yeah, I'll let you get cleaned up; everyone else is waiting outside. Naruto has some ramen waiting for you." And with that, he was gone.

I sat up straight, waking up Talon who had been sleeping peacefully in the crook of my neck.

"'Morning, Talon! It's time to continue to the Sound Village!"

Talon stretched and glared at me, seeming upset that she was waken up when the sun had only just begun to shine into the tent.

I laughed and said, "C'mon; let's go outside and get some fresh air."

As soon as I cleaned myself up, the two of us journeyed outside of our tent, blinking at the sudden sunlight that hit us.

Then, I heard a familiar voice ring out from no more than a couple paces in front of me;

"Neko! What's up?! I made you some ramen!"

As my vision cleared, I saw none other than a familiar blonde-haired ninja running toward me with a small bowl of ramen in his hands.

I laughed; Naruto certainly _was_ comical.

He stopped in front of me and held out the bowl to me.

I then took the bowl and laughed, "Thank you, Naruto!"

He smiled and laughed, "Yeah, no problem, Neko…" He started to scratch his cheek in an embarrassed fashion again.

_"Poor guy..."_ I thought.

I sat down in between Naruto and Shikamaru and across from Kiba. He was staring absentmindedly at the forest floor.

Honestly, I was surprised; he was acting kinda odd today…

Trying not to think about it, I dug into my ramen.

As I finished up, Kiba stood up and began walking like a zombie toward the entrance to the little clearing we were in.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Kiba?!"

Shikamaru asked, hotly.

Kiba, closely followed by Akamaru, said without turning:

"I'm taking a walk."

He said it as if he was distracted or something, all the while still kept walking away.

_"I wonder what's wrong with him… he was like this last night, too…" _

I stood up, bravely, and walked over to Kiba, who was almost out of the clearing. I wanted to talk to him, get to know him, maybe even ask him why he was acting this way.

"Kiba… can I come with you?" I asked, boldly.

He stopped and turned his head, looking disbelievingly at me. Akamaru barked at me, making Kiba look down at the little dog at his feet, his eyes unreadable.

He turned around muttering in the tone that he usually adressed me with:

"Tch. I don't have time to waste with _you,_ pussy cat."

He began walking away again, even though Akamaru kept barking at him. He was stubborn enough to refuse to listen though, so he just kept walking.

I stared after him, wondering why he was so mean even when I was _trying_ warm up to him.

_"He talks to me as if I'm just getting in his way… maybe he's right; I AM just holding everyone back…"_

Talon began to circle in between my legs, which made me smile slightly. I had decided that the way Kiba was acting wasn't anything to worry about... however Naruto didn't think the same:

"_KIBA! YOU FUCKING DOUCHEBAG! GET YOUR ASS BACK OVER HERE!"_

The way Naruto had angrily addressed him must have made him _livid_ and with anger as he turned around and snapped;

_"I don't have time for this. I'm taking a walk; I'll be back in a little while." _

Kiba began to run until he was out of view, and Naruto sat down next to me.

"Ugh… I can't _stand_ it when that dog thinks he's _so_ much better than everyone else… he's like… Sasuke used to be…"

The mentioning of the Uchiha had made Shikamaru roll his eyes; I knew that he never really liked him because he had always thought Sasuke thought too highly of himself and was always being an ass to everyone else for no particular reason.

Naruto suddenly turned his head sharply to me. "And I also can't stand it when he's being a total ass to you, Neko."

I smiled; I knew Naruto was trying to say something here, and I couldn't just leave him hanging.

"Thanks, Naruto; you really _are_ a great friend."

I watched with satisfaction the happiness in his eyes, and I _knew_ that I had just made his day.

Shikamaru looked at ease, too, even if he was down to business;

"Inuzuka better be back soon; we have to keep moving if we're going to get that scroll that Lady Tsunade sent us to find."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, and once he gets back maybe I'll beat the shit out of him once or twice."

I looked at Naruto and burst out without even thinking about it; "Don't, Naruto… it's alright. I can deal with it. It doesn't bother me anymore."

Suddenly, Kiba and Akamaru walked back into camp, Kiba cradling something in his jacket.

"The hell, Kiba?" Was the first thing out of Naruto's mouth.

Then, Kiba carefully reached down and grabbed 3 small eggs.

"Breakfast," was all he said as he sat down and began trying to find a small rock that he could put them all on.

"What are we, cave people?" Shikamaru laughed, lazily.

"Alright, once these are all cooked, then we're leaving immediately. We've wasted enough time as it is."

**Kiba's POV**

I had finally managed to find a few left over twigs and nonsense from last night's fire, and a rock that could fit all 3 eggs on top of it.

Shikamaru started the fire the way he usually did; with a magnifying glass. He did it 10x faster than normal because of his ingeniousness and got everything cooking without any kind of mess.

I was staring down at the ground though; ever since last night, I was always in a bad mood.

_"What is... this feeling?"_

I felt as if I had done something wrong, but I didn't. At least, not today.

The memory of me being an asshole to pussy cat was still fresh in my mind.

_"I didn't mean to make her cry last night, but there's no way in hell I'm going to apologize. How is it MY fault that she cries? I didn't do shit."_

After a couple minutes, the eggs were cooked enough to be eaten, and Naruto quickly claimed one of the eggs.

Shikamaru glanced at me, and I nodded, and he took the second one.

I glanced at pussy cat, who was staring off into space along with Talon as if they could see something, but when I tried to follow their eyes, they were both watching birds like normal cats usually do on their free time.

She suddenly turned her big eyes on me:

"Do you need something?"

Honestly, I was confused. Why the hell would she... would she treat me with such respect when she had every right to hate me?

I nodded toward the egg on the hot rock, "Do you want it?" I wasn't that hungry anyway. She probably needed it more than I did.

Pussy cat looked kind of apprehensive as she shrugged, "If you don't want it, I mean, Naruto made me some ramen earlier…"

I felt some sort of emotion stir in me as I heard the last statement, and I shook my head, looking away.

"Take it."

I could feel her gaze on the back of my head, and when I turned around, she had picked up the egg and nibbled on it a bit.

"Thank you." She whispered, nearly inaudibly.

I stared at her for a moment, then shrugged, trying to seem carefree. "Don't mention it."

I felt a gaze on my face, and I turned to see Naruto was glaring at me with an unexplainable expression on his face that depicted some sort of jealousy.

Staring straight back at him, I submerged myself in thought;

_"I'm not trying to take pussy cat away from him, not that I want to or she'd want to... he doesn't have to get all jealous on me. He can have her."_

Naruto looked away and finished up, cleaning up the clearing to make it look like we were never there.

Shikamaru looked between the two of us, smirked, and then began to help Naruto clean the place up.

Pussy cat was just finishing up her egg, and I didn't realize I was watching her until our eyes met.

"…Kiba? What do you need?" She asked, looking confused.

I quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed because I didn't realize what I had been doing until too late.

"Nothing, sorry."

We both stood up almost simultaniously, and when we did, Akamaru, who had been sitting next to Talon the entire time, looked up at pussy cat and barked at her.

I felt a slight frown on my face as I thought, _"Traitor... I don't know what he said, but... why does HE care about pussy cat anyway? She's nothing but a problem on two feet."_

Before I could curse out Akamaru in my head, she looked at me expectantly.

"What'd he say?"

Pussy cat looked happy and, well, honestly, not as annoying as usual, which made me lower my voice a little.

"…I have no idea."

She tilted her head to the side, suddenly looking even more annoying than normal. "Huh?"

I don't know what the hell it was, but that got to me. I was pissed off now. I don't know what she said, why this irritated me, or why I did what I did in the prescense of Naruto _and_ Shikamaru.

I completely lost my non-existent temper as I shoved her to the ground;

"You're so damn stupid and _annoying_! _That's_ what he said! So, shut the hell up and get the hell out of my face!"

I don't think my voice has ever been that out of control and angry when talking to someone... especially a girl. My chest puffed in and out, in and out, rapidly, like I had just finished running.

She just stared at me with these really wide eyes for a moment and that's when she got up and helped both Naruto and Shikamaru clean up the clearing.

_"Ah, hell..."_ I muttered under my breath as she got up and walked away, speedily, out of the clearing and down toward the river where we had gotten the water last night.

Whatever I had just done, I didn't mean to. It was an impulse... you know?

Akamaru was glaring at me in anger, and when I asked what was up, he ignored me.

Looking around the area, I could tell that the others were just as pissed off as I was at myself: Naruto looked like he was about to go all Kyuubi on everyone, but he didn't do anything other than clean the place up, and if Shikamaru _had_ Kyuubi, he'd be in it.

Suddenly, as everyone watched pussy cat leave the clearing, along with her damned cat, Shikamaru watched her go, a wistful and pained look in his eyes.

_"I have no idea what I've done..."_

My arms were suddenly unwillingly held behind my back and an angry voice asked me:

"Why the hell would you yell at her, Kiba?"

I could barely turn my head, and when I did, I could make out Naruto's heated blue eyes staring into mine.

At first, I couldn't answer the question, but I soon made up my mind _not_ to keep quiet when I barely dodged an incoming kunai from Shikamaru.

"She irritates me…" was all that I could manage to come up with as an excuse; it _was_ true.

_"If I told them I had no idea why I did that, what the hell do you think they'd do to me?"_ I shivered for less than a moment, as Naruto held my arms behind my back tighter, making me flinch and gasp in pain.

Shikamaru walked toward Naruto and I, a kunai at the ready in his right hand.

"Can you at least _try_ to be nice to her? All you've ever done to her since you two _met_ is given her hell. At least you can respect her feelings."

I couldn't help but smirk, "Tch…"

That made Shikamaru punch me in the stomach, hard enough to make me gasp again.

_"Damn,"_ I cursed softly, biting my lip hard enough that a little blood could be felt on the inside of my mouth.

Naruto growled at me.

"Next time you do _anything_ to hurt her, I'll maim you myself. Then, Shik can take it from there."

Shikamaru glared into my eyes, "I told you that if you tried shit to make Neko feel bad, I'd kick your sorry ass."

I just rolled my eyes; I don't know why I did, but maybe it was because I wasn't afraid of Shik. He's not that threatening once you get to know him.

Shikamaru must have seen this, and he raised his fist to punch me in the face, but a voice stopped him.

"STOP IT!"

* * *

This is getting kinda intense… yeah, I know it seems a bit off topic from their mission, but I'm working on it, trust me. Within the next couple of chapters :P Rate/Review!

9/4/12: Still editing. I know. Rate/Review on how you think the repairs are going!


	7. Finally Getting Started

_Flashback:_

_Naruto growled at me._

_"Next time you do anything to hurt her, I'll maim you myself. Then, Shik can take it from there."_

_Shikamaru glared into my eyes, "I told you that if you tried shit to make Neko feel bad, I'd kick your sorry ass."_

_I just rolled my eyes; I don't know why I did, but maybe it was because I wasn't afraid of Shik. He's not that threatening once you get to know him._

_Shikamaru must have seen this, and he raised his fist to punch me in the face, but a voice stopped him._

_"STOP IT!"_

Chapter 7: Finally Getting Started

**Neko's POV**

I began walking back to the clearing from washing my face at the same nearby stream that Kiba and I had nearly gotten into a fight with each other the previous day, and I had just stopped mulling things over.

_"He's always had a short temper with me… I've heard from more than one person that he and Naruto are alike in more than one way. I'm sure it's nothing to cry about or anything…"_

When Kiba yelled at me, I was shocked. Sure, he yelled at me kind of often, but he'd never do it in front of Shika or Naruto. Especially if it involved pushing me to the ground like he did.

_"Oh, well."_

I learned a long time ago that Kiba's attitude toward me would probably never change, so the things he did to me... I learned to accept them and move on.

I neared the clearing again, and all I could hear was yelling from both Naruto and Shika.

Rolling my eyes, I thought about what exactly could be going on over there; the two were probably clashing again, like normal, or maybe they were having a competition.

I hurried, though, just in case of a fight or if I was about to catch something stupid happening, but what I saw was nothing to laugh about; Shikamaru had punched Kiba in the gut with Naruto holding his arms behind him to keep him still.

_"Why would he...?"_ Then I understood.

Shikamaru appeared to be angry with Kiba for what he did earlier, which was yelling at me.

_"I honestly don't care if he yelled at me. Sure, I was upset about it at first, but then I thought it over, and realized it was nothing. Sometimes I wish Shikamaru could do that, too."_

I felt my eyes widening when she noticed that it wasn't the normal angry Shikamaru. It was the anger that came out of him when he saw people hurting me; when he thought I was in danger.

I watched him raise his fist again, aiming at Kiba's face, and I _knew_ I couldn't let him go through that. No matter how mean he could be, I wouldn't let anything like that happen to him.

Racing into the clearing, I screamed; "STOP IT!"

All eyes were on me as Shikamaru turned his head around.

"Neko…"

I shook my head, suddenly shaking at the thought of Shikamaru's raised fist hitting Kiba in the face.

_"Why should I care? I mean, all he ever does is make my life seem so unimportant next to his, and caring about him only makes it worse, but the thought of my best friend hitting him for an unimportant reason… for any reason at ALL… it hurts…"_

My eyes travelled from Shikamaru, whose readied fist never wavered, to Naruto, who looked angry beyond anything she had ever seen, and finally to Kiba, who looked as if he was angry too, but there was something else as I looked into his eyes that disappeared when I stared at him for more than a moment.

"L-let him go. Please..." I finally managed to say. From my point of view, I sounded upset... like Kiba meant something to me.

_"Not on your life."_

Shikamaru stared at me for a moment longer, and then glanced at Naruto.

"You heard her."

Naruto dropped Kiba, making him glare at the blonde-haired knucklehead, but Naruto ignored him and turned to stare at me.

"It's alright, Neko," he said, trying to coax me, but I still felt upset as I kept staring at him.

He continued, "It's ok. He's not going to say anything else to you. Ok?"

But I just stared hardly up at him.

"He didn't do anything to me. It's ok."

Naruto's eyes widened as he walked up and stood in front of me now, looking angry again.

"But… Shikamaru and I _saw_ him yell at you…"

I shrugged, still shaking.

"It's alright. I don't care. Just… don't hit _anyone_. He's a teammate, and fighting within this group will only ensure failure."

Naruto dipped his head to me and I turned to the three as I picked up Talon and rubbed her chin.

"C'mon, let's go, you guys. We've wasted at least an hour and a half just fighting with each other."

**Kiba's POV**

I was surprised; why had she defended him?

There was _no_ reason why I shouldn't have gotten my face bashed in, and I _knew_ it.

He was about to start off on the road, following her, but Shikamaru pushed ahead of me, glaring all the way, until he walked fast to catch up with her.

Naruto, next to me, glared at me and growled:

"Next time, Kiba, I don't care _what_ Neko says, I'm taking you _down._" With that, he ran ahead with Neko and Shikamaru.

I stared at the three in front of me, thoughts shrouded in disbelief, but I found the strength to walk ahead.

Akamaru popped out of my jacket, like normal, and he barked.

_"She forgave you… I'm surprised."_

I looked down at the small white dog and whispered, "Yeah, me too, buddy," As I walked into the sunset behind all of my companions.

* * *

Yeah, this one is relatively short… sorry. The next chapter will be a time-skip, so the story shall pick up the pace. Rate/Review!

4/5/12: Yup. Rate/Review!


	8. The Strange Sound Village

_Flashback:_

_I stared at the three in front of me, thoughts shrouded in disbelief, but I found the strength to walk ahead._

_Akamaru popped out of my jacket, like normal, and he barked._

_"She forgave you… I'm surprised."_

_I looked down at the small white dog and whispered, "Yeah, me too, buddy," As I walked into the sunset behind all of my companions._

Chapter 8: The Strange Sound Village

**Neko's POV**

"C'mon, guys! It's on the horizon! We're almost there!"

Honestly, I was nearly bouncing off of the walls at the thought of _finally_ getting on with our mission.

_"Finally! Two long ass weeks of being stuck with these guys and Shikamaru... it's hell, I tell you."_

I ran alongside Shikamaru, being the co-captain of this team, and I couldn't help but notice the light smile on his face.

Smiling as well, I turned and saw Naruto running behind me, keeping a good pace, and I smiled at him when he smiled back at me.

Then, last, and definitely least in my opinion, I glanced at Kiba. He was looking at the ground with Akamaru running alongside him. He hadn't even _acknowledged_ me in since he had made Shikamaru and Naruto angry at him for yelling at me, and I really wanted to know why at this point.

_"Every time I ask him a question, he either shakes his head or grunts like he couldn't care less."_ I thought to myself.

That's when I looked ahead, to the Sound Village. It looked peaceful and quiet in the twilight.

_"This is where our mission will take place. Let's just hope all of us can get in and out before someone catches on."_

Shikamaru slowed down as they neared the village and addressed our group.

"Alright, guys; we're finally going to get on with this mission. We've arrived a little faster than I thought we would, so let's just keep going and _behave yourselves in here._ Not only are we outsiders, but if we get kicked out of here, then it's going to be a _real_ drag to get back in."

Naruto had crossed his arms across his chest. "Yeah, yeah, Shikamaru, but what are we going to do once we get into the village? It's almost _completely_ dark."

He seemed to think about it for a while, but he shrugged.

"Hmm... Yeah, you're right… let's go and check into a hotel or something. We've got enough extra money."

He turned to me.

"Yeah, I know, the whole 'girls and guys get seperate rooms in hotels' thing, but since there's only one of you, I think it'd be pointless to waste the money. Also, what if they suspect something? There's no way to contact you, or vice-versa. It'd be safer that way."

I nodded, thankfully, to him; those were good points, but he knew the _real_ reason why it wasn't safe or desirable for me to be left alone.

Shikamaru then turned to Naruto.

"And Naruto... don't be an idiot like normal, ok? We don't need to be getting kicked out as soon as we walk in, ok?"

"Shut up, Shik! I'm not going to be an idiot! I'm _never_ an idiot!"

I waited for Kiba to say something smart, like he normally did, but it never came as he kept staring at the ground aimlessly.

The four of us reached the village gate, where two men stopped us.

"Leaf Village ninja? What do you want here?"

Shikamaru smirked, "What a broad question… we just need a place to stay for a couple of nights and some food. We've travelled a long way."

The two men looked us over and one commented: "It seems as if you have. Well… if you don't have anything important to do here, or a mission of some sort, then I guess you're clear to go."

They stepped aside and let the four of us into the village.

As soon as we had been introduced to the almost-empty streets, Shikamaru snickered.

"Those guys… they didn't even _ask_ if we had a mission. How stupid can you get?!"

Naruto giggled a bit, too, and I couldn't help but smile widely at our breaching success.

We kept walking, when I looked to my side and saw three Sound ninja looking at me.

_"Creepy," _I muttered to myself.

At first, they looked me up, then they looked me down, but when they noticed me looking at them, they came up to me.

"Hey, hey Leaf ninja!"

That made our entire group turn around, but before the group of four Sound ninja could say a word, they turned around and ran for it.

"_I wonder what THAT was all about…" _I thought, confused.

I turned to all of my teammates, and saw all three of them glaring at where the Sound ninja had disappeared.

The one with the most intense glare was, surprisingly, Kiba. It was as if he had fire in his eyes and was about to kill someone. Talon meowed at me, telling me what I had already inferred; my teammates had scared the Sound ninja off with a mere glare.

_"Psh! What losers!" _I laughed in her head.

As we saw them off, Shikamaru turned to the group.

"Ok… Let's go find the hotel so we can all get on with our jobs."

We walked and walked on in silencem until Naruto muttered to me:

"Hey, uh… Neko… I never got to ask you, but... do you like anyone?"

Shikamaru's head whipped back to stare at Naruto. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

I smiled, and I couldn't help laughing a bit.

"Actually, it's probably the best question that's been asked throughout this whole mission."

I turned to Naruto, whose face was pale with nervousness.

"As for your question… not really. No one has really caught my eye yet."

As I said this, Shikamaru's eyes widened, Naruto's face became more pale, and Kiba just looked away, which was what he had been doing throughout pretty much the entire mission.

Naruto laughed. "Oh… ok."

He had suddenly regained his spazzy composure and was jogging in place in anticipation.

"Let's get on with our damn mission!"

The conversation stopped after that, and we soon found a small, inn-like setting for the four of us.

Shikamaru had taken charge again.

"Ok, change of plans. I bet we're all tired, right? So, we'll all go check in, and then when we get hungry, we'll all go out to eat. Got it?"

Naruto pumped his fist, "Food?! Hell yes! Lead the way!"

I couldn't help but nod and smirk, but I noticed Kiba just turned away again.

Soon, we all filed into the inn, which was called Sound of the Waves. Inside, there was a small waterfall and real rocks surrounding it at the entrance, but the place looked deserted.

Naruto gasped.

"Woah, it looks like a _resort_... Why is no one here, though?"

Talon had jumped off of my shoulder and ran to the waterfall, curious, but as soon as the water splashed her, she yowled and ran behind Akamaru. I smiled, and Akamaru barked at me, his tail wagging.

_"I wonder what he said..."_

I couldn't help but look up at Kiba, and ask him.

"What'd he say?"

**Kiba's POV**

I glanced at pussy cat, the one person I couldn't stand, yet the only one that I wanted to forgive me for anything I've done.

_"Man," _I growled to myself.

_"These last couple weeks have been hell. All I want is to get this mission over with so we can all go home and go back to normal. The more time I spend around pussy cat, the more she's beginning to grow on me. Dammit, I've even been going out of my way to avoid her. I don't think I've ever spent this much time thinking to myself. Even Akamaru seems a bit worried."_

I glanced down at the little dog at my feet, and he barked at Neko, who had been laughing at her stupid cat, Talon. That's when she had looked up at me, her gray eyes piercing me with an emotion inexpressible through words, and asked him what Akamaru said.

"He asked if you and your stupid cat would walk around here with him…" I reluctantly said.

_"Those have got to be the first words that I've spoken to her since I yelled at her two weeks ago. It feels awkward to speak to her now; after all of the thinking I've been doing about the way I make her feel. Woah, wait… did I just admit that?"_

Flustered by my own thoughts, I felt my lip begin to bleed from my sharp teeth digging into it.

Pussy cat just looked at me and smiled.

"Really?"

The blinding smile that she had flashed me threw me off guard, I'll admit, making me stammer for a moment.

"Y-yeah… really."

Akamaru barked at me, his tail wagging.

_"Oh, I see how it is now, Kiba!"_

I only snorted, and Talon looked visibly jealous and irritated as Akamaru ran in crazy eights around pussy cat's legs, but Akamaru seemed to ignore it.

The stupid girl only smiled when she seemed to see that Akamaru enjoyed being around her, and she ran off with them to look at the dying plants on the other side of the room.

I only had to glance to my side to see a very jealous-looking Naruto glaring at me, who I chose to ignore, and Shikamaru looked confused by my actions.

Shikamaru had turned to me as we locked eyes.

"You're being nice to her for once?"

Nodding reluctantly, I bit my lip again.

_"If it'll make me stop feeling guilty about making her cry two weeks ago... sure."_

Naruto was looking at me with a complex unreadable emotion, which is uncharacteristic for him, and muttered.

"Good job."

Pussy cat came back from the plants, laughing.

"For a dog, Akamaru seems to know how to have a great time!"

Truthfully, I couldn't really argue about that; Akamaru _did_ know how to have a good time. After all... he is _my_ dog, right?

The 'for a dog' part pissed me off a bit, but I couldn't bring myself to argue with her this time.

"Huh." Was about all I could manage before pussy cat grabbed Shikamaru and dragged him toward the counter where they would check in.

As soon as the two were out of earshot, Naruto turned and glared at me.

"What the hell is going _on_ with you, Inuzuka?"

I tilted my head, thrown off guard by Naruto's sudden change in persona.

"Nothing, why?"

He growled, his blue eyes blazing.

"I don't know what you're aiming for, but Neko is _mine._ I'd stay away if I were you."

I was infuriated at even the thought of fighting for someone my head told me to automatically hate, and I felt a snarl escape my lips.

"No one's stopping you; go take her! I don't care!" Though, Naruto had already stalked off in the direction of Shikamaru and pussy cat, and I followed him at a slower pace.

"_Why can't this stupid feeling of guilt just go away? If Uzumaki wants her THAT bad, then he can HAVE her… I don't care. Why SHOULD I care? She's just a cat. A stupid, useless, irritating cat. Nothing else. I don't know what fox-boy sees in her, but it's not anything I'd fight for… tch, pussy cat..."_

**Neko's POV**

I reached the counter, where a guy, maybe in his early twenties, was standing there, looking bored. I practically ran up to him, dragging Shikamaru against his will, then Naruto, who was in front of Kiba.

"Can the four of us get one room?"

The guy looked up from a newspaper he was staring at, then he smirked.

"Sure… all four of you in the same room? Hmm… kinky much?"

The voice made me stop. I looked into this man's piercing green eyes. _"I know him... I know him from somewhere."_

**Kiba's POV**

That last sentence was enough to push me to the limit, honestly, as I growled, pushing my way almost unconsciously in front of my teammates.

"Just give us the damn key."

This guy just broadened his smirk as a slight chuckle entered his voice.

"Sensitive about it, huh? Tell you what; if you guys send me a video… or even better yet, if you let me _watch_, then I'll let you stay for free."

I felt rage spill over as I was about to lunge for this guy, but he threw Shikamaru the key, and Shikamaru handed over the money in turn.

"Thanks, sir." Was all he said as he and Naruto journeyed up the stairs to the room with their few belongings, although I couldn't help but admit they both looked pretty mad, but were restraining themselves.

_"I can't believe they'd just let this prick get away with that…"_

I thought, angrily.

As I turned and was about to follow the other two, I realized that pussy cat was still at the counter.

Before I could say or do anything, this guy gave her a half-smile.

"Why don't you and I take a night on the town? I could show you all of the best places to have a good time."

**Neko's POV**

I felt myself smile at him, feeling my cat eyes growing larger than normal so that they would have turned black instead of their normal gray color.

_"Maybe... if I go with this guy, we'll be able to get some insiders information! I think I can play double agent and hold my own at the same time... but I also want to figure out where the hell I've seen this guy before..."_

"That sounds like an intriguing offer…" I tried to sound very into this guy, hoping that it worked.

**Kiba's POV**

I was watching all of this play out in disbelief.

_"How could she fall for this guys lies? __Obviously, he wants nothing more than to get her in bed. She HEARD what he said to us! What's worse is that we're Konoha ninja. He might know about the mission we're on, and he's just trying to get her alone so he can force her to give him intelligence."_

I don't know why, but when he leaned over the counter, close to her face, I lost it.

A sudden surge of protection seared me, and before I could tell myself how to act, I jumped in front of her and grabbed his guy's hand as hard as I could, making him recoil.

"C'mon, pussy cat."

I could feel my hand curl over hers, much to her disdain, as I pulled her up the stairs to wherever Shik and Naruto had disappeared to.

The guy at the desk was laughing.

"How much is he paying you? Minimum wage?!"

My teeth clenched angrily as I fought the urge to beat his ass into the ground.

Pussy cat, not enjoying being pulled up the stairs to our room, was yowling for me to let her go. I could still hear his laughs of pervertedness from where we were on the stairs, and once we had gotten up to the third floor, pussy cat finally got out of my grasp.

"What the hell was _that_ for?!" She caterwauled, not even bothering to keep her voice down.

I felt my irritation rise again as I growled at her.

"Psh, more like what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Neko's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

Akamaru and Talon had managed to escape from the quarreling two, probably unhappy that the time of mutual peace was over as they scampered down the hall in front of us.

Feeling more contempt for the guy at the desk, I growled.

"He was only trying to get into your pants, pussy cat."

Her eyes suddenly narrowed into slits, and she slapped me on the cheek.

**Neko's POV**

"How could you say that? You're just jealous!"

Honestly, I knew. I knew that whoever this guy was, he sure didn't want to hang out with me for me.

_"Why is it that the way he talks is so familiar? Why does he look like I've seen him before?"_

However, no matter what the situation was at the moment, I could tell that Kiba was only looking out for me.

_"Did... did it work? Getting him to accept me, that is...?"_

**Kiba's POV**

Once those words came out of her mouth, I felt my world freeze.

"Why the hell would I be _jealous_, pussy cat? Why would I want you in the first place?"

Pussy cat glared at me, her eyes still very much slit, which made me growl again.

_"How can she not see it?! I'm trying to help her AND the mission!"_ I thought, feeling crosser than anything.

Suddenly, quick as a flash, I felt a searing pain in my cheek. When I lifted my hand to touch it, blood was pouring out of it.

_"Did she just... SCRATCH me?!"_

A burst of uncontrollable anger exploded from inside of me as I grabbed both of her arms and dragged her down the hall, not really giving a damn if I hurt her this time.

Pussy cat was screeching the whole way that I pulled her, telling me to let her go again, until she pulled away.

"I can walk _myself_ down the hall, thank you." She managed to growl at me, and she pushed past me angrily.

I was in shock as the angry red haze that covered my vision on a normal basis faded away.

_"I can't believe my anger gets the best of me all the time! Why can't I just ignore her?!"_

Following her at a slow pace, I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly, feeling guilty again.

_"Why the hell do I feel this way?! Before the damn mission, I never felt guilty about the way I treat her. Now... I don't know... I feel bad..."_

Pussy cat looked back at me, her eyes becoming wide again.

"Kiba?" She asked, seeming to be cooled down.

"Huh?"

I asked, trying not to sound eager.

She slowed until she was walking next to me.

"Thanks. Thanks for looking out for me."

I couldn't help but stare at her for a little more than a few moments.

_"She's THANKING me? For what? Making us both look like idiots in front of that scum-shit-sack of a hotel clerk? Huh, that's different."_

He finally managed to choke out, "Don't mention it."

The two of us walked side-by-side, without talking to each other, until we reached the end of the hall, which was a dead-end.

"Wrong floor?"

Pussy cat asked me, looking like she was about to laugh.

I growled; I was _not_ going to go back down the stairs and ask that creeper for directions, but I didn't really have much room for a choice, did I?

"Ah, shit. Yeah. Let's go back."

But as soon as I took a step, pussy cat burst out:

"Wait!"

I couldn't help but snort.

"I wasn't even _leaving_ yet, pussy cat."

She was now looking around anxiously as she asked a question that made my heart stop.

"Where are Talon and Akamaru?!"

* * *

I guess it's now time for a little hide and seek! Well… yeah. Rate/Review!

9/7/12: Yuuuuuuuuuuuuup! Also, sorry Neko's POV is kinda short in this chap... Rate/Review though! I want to know how good/bad this re-vamp is.


	9. Find Those Animals!

_Flashback:_

_"Wait!"_

_I couldn't help but snort._

_"I wasn't even leaving yet, pussy cat."_

_She was now looking around anxiously as she asked a question that made my heart stop._

_"Where are Talon and Akamaru?!"_

Chapter 9: Find Those Animals!

**Neko's POV**

"I could have _sworn_ they went on _ahead_ while we were fighting… where could they _be_?! There's no _possible_ way they could have gone through the _wall,_ and… and…"

I was at the point where I was _shaking _in fear; Talon is one of the few beings in the world that had helped me through my early life, and I didn't want to lose her this early in my life.

Kiba was looking at me with what I thought was a worried expression.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I'm worried about Akamaru, too."

Then, he suddenly snapped out of it, looking angry.

"Where the hell _could_ they have gone? They stumped us, I'll admit, but we'll find them, pussy cat. Count on it."

_"We better... wait,"_

My eyes opened wide in astonishment.

"Can't you pick up their scents?"

Kiba stopped and stared at me.

"...I was working on it."

"What?! _Why_ didn't you tell me _earlier_?! I _need_ to know where she is!"

I grabbed his arm, making him growl.

"Go! Lead me to her!" I begged him.

Kiba glared at me as he snatched his arm out of my grasp.

"I can't; this is where they last were, I'm sure, but now I can't-"

The last thing I was going to do was let him finish that wretched sentence.

I slapped him across the face, feeling my irritation rise to an all-time high.

"Find them! I can't stand this!"

Kiba just stared at me with anger in his eyes.

Honestly, though, I couldn't have cared less.

_"He had BETTER find them, or he'll pay!"_

Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me along with him.

"Let's go."

I felt chills sear my hand at his firm and angry, yet soft and soothing touch, and I allowed myself to be pulled around for a moment.

_"How the hell is his touch so soothing?"_ I asked myself.

_"It hurts since his grip is so tight, but... I miss Talon, and if anything happens to her, I'll rip someone to pieces!"_

Though, Kiba touching my wrist made me calm down. I don't know why, but I was a lot more calm than I would be if we were walking side-by-side.

Before I knew it, he was dragging me back down the steps.

"We should retrace our steps before we jump to any conclusions."

I stared at the back of Kiba's hoodie, feeling one eyebrow rise up.

_"It seems like he doesn't want to go back down here..."_

As soon as the thought hit me, I knew the reason why; he must be irritated about what the familiar-looking clerk guy had said to me.

_"He must still be jealous."_ I couldn't help but stiffle a bout of laughter at the thought of it.

I stopped talking to myself when we hit the bottom of the steps.

Kiba dragged me up to the front desk, the way he was walking telling me that he was pretty angry as he stared down the man.

"What room number were we?" His voice was a lot more unforgiving than normal, and I flinched as I saw the corners of his eyes narrow.

The man looked up from the... inappropriate magazine... he was reading, and I couldn't help but notice how tanned he was. His green eyes shone in the dim light, and his dirty blonde hair fit his complexion perfectly.

_"I don't think I'd guess he was such a jerk... he looks so innocent."_

"So, the two of you are ready to go have some fun, huh?"

Kiba clutched my hand with such force that a faint cry escaped from my lips for a moment, until I bit my lip and suppressed the pain.

This made the clerk laugh a really creepy laugh and his green eyes pierced me this time.

"Your room is number 25. I'll drop by later, and maybe that's when we'll have some alone time. Just you and me."

The way he said it made these creepy chills slither up my spine and back down as this man's provacative smile reached me.

_"It's so weird how familiar he looks... and how awkward this feels..."_

My knees must have been knocking together, and I took a step back as the man leaned forward, as if he was trying to get all up in my face.

When he realized that wasn't going to work, he grabbed onto my shoulder, and I watched Kiba's teeth clench.

_"...It's about to get intense."_

**Kiba's POV**

I could literally feel anger bubbling up inside of me.

_"Who the hell does this guy think he is?! Trying to seduce pussy cat or something..."_

However, though, the moment this guy reached across the desk and grabbed her shoulder, I must have lost it.

_"That's it." _

I grabbed the clerk's collar of his shirt, letting go of pussy cat's wrist so I could hold my fist up to punch this prick.

"Do you _want_ to die? Is that it?!"

**Neko's POV**

Kiba's tone of voice was different this time. Like... like he'd stop at nothing to kill this guy. What was the word for it...?

_"Protective."_

That was the first word that popped into my head. I couldn't believe it even if I tried.

_"Why would he be protective of me? He even said that he'd let me die. He'd watch me die without doing anything. He'd never be protective of me."_

I had tuned out enough that I didn't hear what the guy said, but Kiba had pressed his face up closer to his.

"Say it again and the next thing you'll see is hell."

Kiba sounded really angry, more angry than he'd ever been at me, and his fist slowly began to rise as his eyes kept narrowing.

Realizing that this was about to turn dangerous, I pulled on his arm with the raised fist.

"Kiba, calm down. _Please_. I _know_ he's a total jerk and everything, but we _need_ to find Talon and Akamaru."

Kiba turned back to me, and I was taken aback by the fury and hatred that haunted his eyes as he said in a low, angry growl:

"Maybe if we know where our _room_ was, then _maybe_ we could get Shikamaru and Naruto to help us, too."

He turned back to the clerk, who was beginning to laugh again, and punched him square in the face. The clerk slumped forward, unconscious, and Kiba threw him to the side.

I stared at Kiba for a moment, feeling my mouth move, but no words would come out.

_"I didn't know how TERRIFYING he could be when he's angry… I'm just glad he hasn't tried to punch me yet."_

It wasn't until that moment that I realized I had been holding my hand to my chest this entire time. The area where he had bruised my wrist still hurt, but I wanted him to hold it again. It soothed me, but I suppose the same could have been said with anyone else.

Kiba was looking down at something on the desk, his eyebrows creased in deep thought.

He took a moment to look through it, and when he found their room number I guess, he put it back down.

"Pussy cat," he said as he passed me.

"Let's go."

Kiba took my wrist from my chest and dragged her up the stairs again, and I could feel the calmness sear my conscience.

_"I... didn't know I could be this calm. I don't know if it's because I'm terrified of him, or if it's because he's beginning to treat me like a human being..."_

**Kiba's POV**

Once we made it to our _actual_ floor, which was the third one, I slowed down, loosening my grip on pussy cat's wrist. I had to admit, she looked pretty shaken.

_"Maybe it's because of the way I was about to knock that prick's eyeballs out of his miserable face. How dare he lay a hand on her?"_

I stopped myself as soon as I thought that.

_"I only... no. No. I only thought that because if something happens to her, something even worse happens to me. Shik would kill me, Naruto would kill me, if we found our comrades, her damn cat would do worse than kill me... I don't want that to happen, and that's why I thought it."_

No matter how much I kept trying to convince myself that that was exactly why, I couldn't. It didn't feel right... it was like I was lying to myself.

_"But...if I'm lying to myself... then where's the truth?"_

Honestly, I didn't know. It was that simple. I didn't know.

"Sorry for squeezing your hand so hard earlier. I did that to stop myself from killing that guy."

I could feel my body go into cruise control as I started up a conversation beginning with an apology to pussy cat.

She looked up at me with the most confused eyes I have ever seen, but she smiled at me.

"It's ok, Kiba!"

Her happy reaction made me have to do a double-take.

_"...How can she be so forgiving...? If I was in her shoes, I would be pissed off."_

"...And I'm sorry you had to see what I did to him. If he wasn't going to tell us what we needed to know, then I might as well kick his ass."

Pussy cat's head tilted at me for a long moment, but then she turned to face forward.

"No, it's ok. I-I thought it was kind of... cool, actually."

I did a second double-take.

_"Am I in a Genjutsu or something? Pussy cat thought something that I did... was cool. Huh."_

I could feel the smirk crawling up my face.

"You really think so?"

She nodded:

"It was kinda scary at first, but when I think about it, it was cool."

**Neko's POV**

Kiba smirked down at me with that cocky smirk that I had grown to live with during this mission. Though, it had been absent from his face for quite a while; two weeks, to be specific.

"The room number is 25." He was looking ahead now, concentrating pretty hard from what I could see.

_"He's treating me like a human being..."_

I smiled. A real smile. However, it disappeared as I thought about Talon and Akamaru being missing. A frown plastered to my face.

"What if we don't find Talon and Akamaru?"

Kiba's smirk had turned upside down now.

"Of course we will. If we don't find them, they'll find us."

I only sighed as we approached our room, Kiba knocked on the door.

Though, in between the few seconds that it took for someone to answer, I thought about how vacant the entire place was. The only living creatures we knew were in the building beside ourselves and our animals was the guy at the desk.

No sound could be heard from anywhere. It gave me a very... suspiscious feeling... but I decided to think nothing of it as Naruto answered the door.

"Where the _hell_ have you two _been_?! It's been about thirty minutes! Shik and I have been sitting here on our lazy asses worrying like nothing else about you two!"

Kiba snorted.

"We've been _out,_ Naruto."

He looked confused now. "Out?"

That's when he looked down at our conjoined hands and his eyes became very closed off and distant.

"Oh, well… welcome back."

I felt my heart drop into my stomach; Naruto really and truly cared for me, and I hated to see his heart break like this.

Then, Shikamaru suddenly appeared at the door behind Naruto, a frown on his face.

"Where were you?!" He demanded, glaring at Kiba like he was an accused criminal.

I watched as Kiba's eyes went from almost angry to really annoyed, like he was being defensive.

"We lost you guys _and_ Akamaru and Talon! We're trying to find them, and thought we could get you guys to help."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You _lost_ Akamaru?"

Kiba nodded and Naruto burst out laughing.

"How did you _lose_ him?! He's a _dog;_ you can't _lose_ him!"

Kiba growled and grabbed his jumpsuit.

"Listen, idiot. I'm about to rip your head off."

"Try it."

Shikamaru grabbed Naruto from Kiba's grasp and sighed, looking at me.

"Ok, we'll find them, even if it _is_ going to be a drag."

I glanced at Kiba, and that's when he got this weird look on his face; as if he _knew _something.

"Kiba? What's…?"

But he just held my wrist tighter as he pulled me away from Shikamaru and Naruto.

"C'mon, we've gotta go!"

He took off running, dragging me behind him, and Shikamaru and Naruto ran behind us, too.

"What the hell is on your mind, Inuzuka?" Shikamaru growled through gritted teeth.

I didn't even have to look at Kiba to figure out that he was more furious than ever, mostly because he was holding my wirst; tightly and angrily.

Suddenly, Kiba stopped, making me fall forward. I shut my eyes tight, thinking I was about to face plant, but then I felt my face land on something soft, almost like fur.

"Sorry," I heard Kiba say.

I looked up and found my head resting on Kiba's shoulder with his arms around my waist, crouching on the ground. I blinked for a moment and saw a familiar emotion in his eyes as he looked at me. She had only seen it in Shikamaru's eyes when it came to looking at her, though… it was pure worry.

_"Why would Kiba be worried about me? Maybe I'm just kidding myself. I'm just fanaticizing. I know it. Whatever, it's not like he'd ever take his precious time to like me anyway. He's KIBA! Besides, we have to concentrate on finding Talon and Akamaru!"_

I, hastily, jumped away from him, and we continued to run.

We flew up three flights of stairs to what I believe was the top floor.

We had gotten to the end of the hall when Kiba suddenly stopped in front of a door. Room number 86.

"What's up?" Naruto asked, looking around like there were enemies all around the place.

Kiba was glaring at the door in front of us.

"They're in there."

I stood there, wondering what we should do, when I heard a sound from inside.

_"Talon..."_ I thought, desperately, only an instant before my anger settled in.

Anxiously, I pulled out of Kiba's tight grasp on my wrist.

"Let… me… go!"

When he finally did, I hit the door as hard as I could, but this door was more reinforced than the others were.

Repeatedly, without thinking about it, I kept hitting it in succession.

**Kiba's POV**

"_I've never seen her THIS angry at ANYTHING…_ _I guess that damn cat means a lot to her, like Akamaru means to me." _

I just stared at pussy cat as she punched the door a second time. Then a fifth time. Then a fourtenth time.

"Hey… pussy cat, I don't think the person who is in there is there…"

I tried to calm her down, but all it did was back-fire as she slapped me on the cheek, which was still smeared with dried blood from earlier:

"_You_ tell _me_! You're the one with the almighty nose, for crying out loud!"

Her voice was unnaturally more angry than normal as she turned away and kept trying to open the door.

When she talked to me in that voice, I could barely keep my anger contained as I took a deep breath, trying to locate any human inside, but there was nothing except for the scent of our beloved comrades.

"There's no one inside, pussy cat." I was trying to sound calm, but, honestly, all I was thinking about was how to get Akamaru the hell out of that room.

This statement only seemed to make pussy cat more anxious and angry as she kept trying to bust the door down.

Shikamaru, finally, grabbed her by her waist and pulled her away from the door, which now had scratch marks on it.

"Neko," he said, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Let's think about this for a moment. What if there are traps in there?"

Pussy cat was now looking around, looking thoughtful, and she finally sighed. "I guess…"

Jumping away from Shikamaru, she took a seat on the ground.

Shikamaru knelt down on one knee and looped his hands to form a circle, like he always did when he was thinking.

Naruto sighed, put both of his arms behind his back and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

"Ah, this is going to take a while. We might as well sit back."

I growled and leaned against the wall as well.

_"Damn. We had BETTER get Akamaru out of the room. I swear if anything happens to him..."_

Not even wanting to think about it, I ground my teeth together anxiously.

Looking to my side, I watched as pussy cat was slowly unravelling before me; her normally annoyingly-gray eyes were black in fear as she widened them, and her claws were sheathing and unsheathing every few seconds.

_"...Man, do I feel sorry for her."_

I stared at her for a few more moments as she held her legs close to her chest as she sat against the wall.

_"Wait, what the hell? Sorry for HER? Please."_

Although, the more I thought about it, the more sorry I was.

_"The damn cat must be pretty important to her..."_

Naruto had opened one eye as he looked at me now.

"So, what'd you two do while you were _out?_"

Honestly, I was surprised that Naruto would ask something like that. I looked up to answer the question, but I paused when I noticed the look in his eye.

_"He must be jealous or something. It's not like I'm going to take pussy cat away from him. He can have her. I don't care. Why should I care?"_

When I asked myself that question, my heart seemed to nearly stop.

_"Pussy cat is just as annoying as Naruto. They're perfect for each other. But... what is...?"_

I shook my head, erasing the question I was about to ask myself as I answered Naruto's question:

"We were avoiding that prick of a clerk, trying to find you two, and fighting."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Fighting?"

Pussy cat looked like she was going to pull her hair out as she sighed.

"We're _always_ fighting, Naruto."

"Yeah," I added, although I couldn't help but glance at her as she ran her hand through her midnight black hair.

"She scratched me…"

I glared at her, which caused her to huff.

"Which is _exactly_ why you shouldn't be jealous of how well I get along with other people, dog."

Again, I suddenly felt my anger rising.

"I wasn't jealous. He was only trying to get into your pants, pussy cat, like I said before. That's why I knocked his lights out."

Naruto's eyes opened even wider. "You knocked out the guy at the front desk?!"

Neko sighed, looking up at Naruto. "Yeah, he did."

I couldn't help but smirk as I looked back on it.

"Yeah, and I thought it was pretty well done."

Shikamaru was glaring at me now, briefly pausing in thinking about what to do in this situation.

"You _do_ know that he can kick us out of this hotel, right?"

"Shit," growled Naruto and I at the same time.

Shikamaru seemed to go back to thinking, and pussy cat looked up at me.

"So, I have a question for you."

I suddenly felt my heart skip at the thought of what that question might be, but stopped myself just in time.

"Ask." I nearly ordered.

She stood up, looking me in the eyes, and I was surprised how sharp they had gotten over the course of this mission.

"You guys asked me earlier if I liked anyone… so... who do you like? You too, Naruto." She glanced at the blonde idiot, and I felt my world stop at the question.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever really thought about it. I mean, sure, there are some pretty good looking girls in Konoha, but I wouldn't say I feel anything serious for anyone.

"I-I don't like anyone. The only one who has any affection from me is Akamaru, and he's my best friend."

This made Naruto cough, "Forever alone."

Feeling an angry blush make it up to my ears, I growled at Naruto:

"Ok, Uzumaki, who do _you_ like?"

Naruto's face turned red as he looked around the hallway, nervously.

"Uh… um… no one! Kiba, why are you so nosey?!"

Suddenly, pussy cat burst out laughing.

"Nice pun, Naruto!"

Naruto looked confused, but Shikamaru seemed to get it because his face was screwed up, as if he was trying not to laugh.

I shook my head slowly, thinking.

_"Why did I even go on this mission if this is just going to keep happening?! Stupid puns, Naruto is riding my ass whenever I so much as TALK to pussy cat, Shikamaru with his thinking-pose that takes half past FOREVER to think of ONE plan… when will we just get the damn scroll and leave?"_

Suddenly, pussy cat's eyes widened, like she was feeling pain at the moment. She had shot up and started hitting the seemingly nearly-indestructible door.

"What the hell is your problem, pussy cat?"

I growled, kind of disturbed at the thought of her normally annoying-yet peaceful nature turning into this savage, beastlike attitude. Just like me.

_"just.. like me." _

The thought made my vision go blurry for a moment, but I regained it when I saw how shaken pussy cat was.

She had stopped hitting the door, but she was breathing heavily and shaking.

"Talon and Akamaru… they're being _tortured_, Kiba! Can't you hear them?!"

* * *

Alright, this is getting _really_ intense, trust me… shout out to my first review, glad you like the story :) Rate/Review! :)

9/7/12: Also... heh, nevermind :D Rate/Review!


	10. Save Those Animals!

_Flashback:_

_Suddenly, pussy cat's eyes widened, like she was feeling pain at the moment. She had shot up and started hitting the seemingly nearly-indestructible door._

_"What the hell is your problem, pussy cat?"_

_I growled, kind of disturbed at the thought of her normally annoying-yet peaceful nature turning into this savage, beastlike attitude. Just like me._

_"just.. like me." _

_The thought made my vision go blurry for a moment, but I regained it when I saw how shaken pussy cat was._

_She had stopped hitting the door, but she was breathing heavily and shaking._

_"Talon and Akamaru… they're being tortured, Kiba! Can't you hear them?!"_

Chapter 10: Save Those Animals!

**Neko's POV**

"I can't live when Talon is about to die! I can't do this, I really can't…"

I was going nearly _insane_ with worry over Talon.

Shikamaru was looking down at me with a pained expression; he too knew how much that cat meant to me, and she meant something to him as well. The three of us would all sit in Konoha, just sitting and enjoying the weather and watching the clouds, or in Talon's case, the birds.

Kiba was looking at me like I was crazy.

"What the hell are you talking about, pussy cat? I'm sure they're-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I heard a wounded howl from the other side of the door. It wasn't muffled or anything. It was real.

I watched in horror as Kiba's eyes became small slits like mine did when I was in distress, and he kicked the door that hadn't seemed to budge.

"Akamaru is hurt! I _swear_ if I find who did it, I'll _kill_ them!"

Naruto snapped his fingers suddenly.

"Hey, I've got an idea."

Shikamaru face palmed. "You'll get us _all_ killed, Naruto. You _never_ have good ideas. Don't be more troublesome than you can help. I'm _trying_ to think!"

Naruto turned his fiery eyes on Shikamaru.

"And if you think any longer, I think these two are going to have heart attacks! Their furry friends are in _serious_ trouble. Imagine if _Neko_ was behind that door. Would you be doing _any_ thinking then?"

The question seemed to throw Shikamaru off guard as he sighed heavily.

"Alright, well, trap or not, we _never_ leave a comrade behind, no matter how furry they are. Ok, first things first; we're busting that door down, and once we do that, we'll save those animals then take them to a vet or something… yeah. That's all I've got since Naruto interrupted my train of thought."

"Psh," Naruto snorted, shaking his head like he was disappointed. "And here I thought you were a _tactical_ ninja… you're average, Shik. Average."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "_AVERAGE_?! _WHAT_?! I'M _NOT_ FUCKING AVERAGE! I'M A _GENIOUS_! YOU GAVE ME NO TIME TO THINK!" Naruto shrugged, "Whatever you say."

I was still pounding on the door, but no matter what I seemed to try, it wouldn't open, even with Kiba's help.

I turned my eyes to Naruto.

"I-I can't… we can't do it."

There was a certain lump in my throat, which made me look away.

_"I'm so weak... I can't even get a door open. How sad..."_

The incident took away some of my confidence, and my hands balled into fists.

Suddenly, Naruto got this look in his eyes like he could do anything as he yelled: "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

A clone of himself appeared next to him, and as he held out his hand, the clone began charging one of his signature moves; Rasengan.

Kiba had backed up from the door to give Naruto some room, which meant he was standing next to me.

I looked up at him, and his face didn't seem to give any emotion away as he just sighed.

He glanced at her, but then he looked at Naruto, who had just connected his ball of chakra to the door, shouting a very loud, "RASENGAN!" at it.

The door still stood tall, and Shikamaru face palmed.

"Yeah, I don't know how no one can hear us screwing around up here…"

That's when he got a look on his face, as if he had just connected the dots.

"What's up, Shika?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Maybe there's no one else in here. The entire thing is just a trap. That guy must have been a ninja… someone abducted Akamaru and Talon, maybe they're just dead in that room, waiting for us to find them…"

Shikamaru seemed to be talking to himself with his eyes trained on the door that wouldn't fall.

I felt the lump in my throat become even more unbearable, and Kiba's body tensed next to mine.

"So… you're saying that there's a possibility that once we walk in there, we're gonna get killed... same with Akamaru and Talon?"

I stared at Shikamaru, my eyes filling up with tears.

_"Please say no," _I thought, desperately. _"Please say no."_

However, with the emotions invading Shikamaru's eyes, I _knew_ he was uncertain, which meant… anything goes.

I swayed on my feet at the thought of Talon being dead, and a cold hand touched my shoulder. I looked up to see Naruto standing there with a huge grin on his face.

"It's ok, Neko! We'll get Talon _and_ Akamaru back! They're fine, probably just waiting for us to find them!"

He was smiling one of those crazy smiles that he had, and somehow his words comforted me.

"Thanks, Naruto."

Without thinking, I glanced to my side to see Kiba's eyes searching the hallway we were in with suspicion.

Though, he stopped when his eyes rested on the door again. He was now, glaring into space, looking uncharacteristically deep in thought, but when he saw that I was looking at him, he bared his teeth menacingly at me.

I looked away.

_"He's just as anxious and nervous as I am about finding Akamaru and Talon... that's why he's so cross." _

I looked at Shikamaru now, who seemed to still be thinking, and that's when he looked up.

"We _have_ to get through that door. If your friends aren't there, then we _know_ we've been had, and we _have_ to get the hell out of here. If they are, we'll get them, then we'll search the hotel. If no one is here, then we still have to get out of here. I'll put it this way; if anything happens, stay with the person I'm pairing you with. Naruto, you're with Kiba, and Neko you're with me. That way, if one of us gets lost, they have someone to stay with and you both get out of there dead or alive. Got it?"

Nodding, I smiled a small smile; I couldn't have thought of a better plan myself.

Kiba still looked _very_ irritated, like normal, and Naruto's eyebrow cocked up.

"Ok… but how are we going to break this door down?"

Shikamaru glanced at me, which made me smirk suddenly; I knew _exactly_ what he was thinking; my signature move.

"Move out of the way, guys."

**Kiba's POV**

I was still extremely pissed about the entire situation and couldn't wait to find out what had happened to Akamaru.

_"I don't know what'll happen to me if I find out that he's dead, or just plain gone. I might just go ballistic."_

I watched, though, as pussy cat lined herself up with the door that we were hopelessly trying to break into. It was stronger than all of the other doors, yet I couldn't smell anything that would tell me why.

She was stretching her arms out, as they glowed blue with chakra, and she exhaled as claws about as thick as a tree branch launched out from her fingernails.

She _attacked_ the door, slicing it open enough to where we could climb in, making even _me _gawk in awe for a moment.

_"I didn't know pussy cat's claws were that sharp. Huh. Better watch out for them, then..."_

Shikamaru dragged her back away from the door as he nodded in approval.

"Nice job."

Poor pussy cat was panting pretty hard, and she looked exhausted from just using that one technique, but she nodded.

Naruto walked through the door, without even thinking about the possibility of a trap, like always.

"All looks normal in here. Kiba, come check this out; you need to find your pets. I'm getting a weird ass vibe."

_"They're not pets,"_ I growled under my breath. _"They're comrades…"_

I walked nervously into the room. It was unnaturally still and very creepy.

_"Aww, hell nah,"_ My brain told me. _"I'm outta here!"_ I forced my legs to keep walking until I was in the middle of the room.

"C'mon, Shika! Let me go in there! Talon is my companion... I want to help find her..."

I smirked for a moment, allowing myself to be side-tracked.

_"Why is she always whining?"_

My nose was acting up now.

_"Whoever it was, they tried to cover up the scent... nice try."_

Smirking, I followed the faint trace around the room until I stopped in front of a wooden table. On top of it was some dark liquid... at first, I had no idea what it could be, but that's when I figured it out.

_"Blood."_

I must have frozen in place, because Naruto called out to me:

"What's the hold-up, Kiba?! You scared or something?!"

My mouth opened half-way, but nothing would come out audibly.

"...What... what did you find?"

Pussy cat was talking to me now.

_"I wish I could answer her..."_

I scared myself how concerned I was about her feelings right now.

_"She's, obviously, not as mentally strong as I am. I don't want her to cry again or something..."_

Shivering, I got back to the matter at hand as I bent down to look underneath the table, where even more of the dark liquid could be seen.

What I saw... hell... what I saw was the most terrifying thing I've yet to see.

Akamaru and Talon, side-by-side, were underneath this table. Liquid was covering them... this weird scent came across my nose. At first though, I disregarded it. Who wouldn't have, I mean, if you're looking at your best friend... who is dead in front of you?

I felt a small gasp escape my lips as I tensed up in fear now.

"Hell no." I whispered.

"Did you find them?!"

Pussy cat was speaking to me again.

_"I don't want to answer her. I can't; it'll kill her, too. I should have been able to smell the blood. I can't believe I couldn't… unless…it's not blood."_

The thought hit me with a pang; it's _not_ blood! But if it's red and runny, and it's not blood, what _was_ it?!

_"That explains why I can't smell it... it's odorless..."_

While I was in deep thought, pussy cat had run to my side.

When she saw what had happened... she gasped and bit her lip suddenly, and began to shake.

_"That's exactly... how I feel."_

I watched, helplessly, as tears began to fall from her cheeks.

"I-it's… it's not blood, pussy cat," I whispered, nearly unable to get my voice out of my throat.

She turned to me, her gray eyes slit and angry as she hissed:

"Then what is it? Huh? Is it _magic_, Kiba?! Is it happiness, just _bursting_ out of them?!"

_"I've never seen her so upset."_

I almost wanted to hold her; she was in pain. Almost.

_"...As much as I can't stand her... I don't like to watch her be in pain like this. It makes mine worse... but it hurts watching her cry because I wasn't watching what I was doing... it's my fault we lost them..."_

Pussy cat grabbed her damn cat, and it meowed faintly.

"Talon..." she whispered.

I grabbed Akamaru, who was whimpering.

"Hey, boy..."

The two animals looked nearly lifeless; barely breathing.

Akamaru was whimpering faintly, and Talon's paws were twitching every 30 seconds or so as her ears flicked.

"We've gotta do _something_ about this, Kiba."

Pussy cat was whispering to me. I looked into her eyes, which were slit into the smallest, most angry little things I had ever seen.

"Yeah, no kidding, but what-"

I started the sentence, but she had gotten up, running to the door.

"We have to go to the vet! We _have_ to! They'll die if we don't!"

She was begging me with her life, and the two of us ran through the door and out of this creepy hotel, with Naruto and Shikamaru on our heels.

* * *

Will the animals live? What _was_ that red stuff? Will we find out? Is it a trap? Will Kiba and Neko stop hating each other? Well… rate/review!

9/13/12: :'( I liked this chap... Rate/Review!


	11. The Vet

_Flashback:_

_"We've gotta do something about this, Kiba."_

_Pussy cat was whispering to me. I looked into her eyes, which were slit into the smallest, most angry little things I had ever seen._

_"Yeah, no kidding, but what-"_

_I started the sentence, but she had gotten up, running to the door._

_"We have to go to the vet! We have to! They'll die if we don't!"_

_She was begging me with her life, and the two of us ran through the door and out of this creepy hotel, with Naruto and Shikamaru on our heels._

Chapter 11: The Vet

**Neko's POV**

I ran along the empty, dark streets. It must have been well past 1 in the morning.

_"Where the hell is it?! If we don't get there, Talon and Akamaru are going to die!"_

Shikamaru rushed past me.

"While you two were… _out…_ I was studying a tourist map in the hotel room. Follow me; I think I know where it is."

I glanced at him gratefully and followed him to a small building. The four of us went inside, and as soon as the lady at the counter saw us, she grabbed the animals Kiba and I were holding and rushed into the back room without a word.

Shikamaru took a seat in one of the blue chairs in the dark waiting room.

"Yeah, we could be here all night. Let's sit down and think over our options."

Naruto sat down next to him on his left side.

"Yeah, maybe we could get some sleep, too?"

"No!" snapped Shikamaru.

"If we sleep, that gives us vulnerability to anything that any stranger wants to do to us, whether it's drug us and drag us somewhere, or kill us and our mission is incomplete."

_"He's right..."_

I sat down next to Shikamaru on his right side, and was I was surprised when Kiba sat down next to me.

I glanced at him and saw how conflicted his eyes were. It was as if he didn't know exactly what to feel about the whole situation.

_"He looks how I feel..."_

"What's the matter, pussy cat?" His eyes had met mine, and they seemed to clear up the deeper I looked into them.

I shook my head, looking away now. "Nothing."

Oddly, I felt his stare for a while longer, but the feeling soon disappeared as I gripped the arm rests on my chair.

Naruto, that knucklehead, seemed to be making an effort to start a conversation.

"Hmm… the desk lady was pretty good looking, don't you think?"

He laughed, scratching his cheek with one finger and had a slight blush on his face.

I smiled. _"Typical Naruto. He can cheer me up even in the most intense situations..."_

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"You think _every_ girl is good looking, Naruto. Stop being a man-whore and think of things that actually matter. Like, oh, the _mission?_ Or the _animals?_ Or how the _hell_ we're going to take the first step in this investigation?"

"Yeah, uh," Naruto started. _"..._Um_... _so the mission! Haha, I think we're close to finding what we're looking for!"

"No." Kiba answered him quite simply, but seemed to be a lot less enthusiastic about the way he called Naruto out.

Naruto snorted at Kiba's response, and this caused him to growl, but he didn't do anything.

Shikamaru shrugged. "On the other hand, are you guys hungry at all? We haven't eaten in a day."

I shrugged. "I haven't noticed." I didn't need to eat. Not when I was so worried about Talon.

_"Damn, I hope she's ok..."_

Kiba only shook his head, whereas Naruto jumped up.

"I'm _starving_!"

"Heh," Shikamaru laughed slightly.

"I thought so. Since this may take a while, Naruto and I are going to go and get some food. We'll probably bring some back for you two, just in case, ok?"

Kiba and I only nodded and Naruto ran outside, however Shikamaru stayed back for a moment.

"Stay here, and _don't leave._ If I don't know where you are, I'll probably end up assuming that you guys got killed. Agreed?"

We just nodded again, and Shikamaru muttered in a quieter tone:

"Oh, yeah... and... try not to fight, alright?"

Kiba growled, and I nodded.

"We'll try not to."

Shikamaru smirked and left Kiba and I sitting side-by-side in the dark room.

**Neko/Kiba's POV**

A long silence fell upon the two, who were now the only ones in the dim room.

Kiba was looking around, feeling anxious.

_"Akamaru's been hurt many times before, but when that happened, my mom and Hana took care of him, and before I knew it, he was better. I'm, of course, going to doubt the vet's healing ways, but I gotta trust them. It's either this or nothing."_

He glanced over at Neko, who looked as though she was deep in thought as well.

Even though the room was dim, she could probably see him as well as she could in the daytime; she _was_ a cat, right?

Neko looked up from studying a corner of a paper on the ground.

"Kiba…"

The poor thing sounded tired, only because she hadn't gotten _any_ sleep, just like all of them. However, since cats tend to sleep 18 hours out of a day, or, in her case, somewhere in the vicinity of 12, she was suffering the worst of them all.

"Huh?" Kiba asked.

"W-what was the red stuff that you saw? You said… you said it wasn't blood. What was it?"

Glancing, he took a look into her eyes, which were drooping, her eyelashes looking smooth and silk as she continuously batted them in an effort to stay awake.

As she continued to look at him, she noticed that his eyes were softening because his mind was off of Akamaru, and he was focused on talking to her instead.

No matter how crucial it is to worry that their companions were ok, Kiba always _was_ one to not look at the matter at hand.

"I don't know what it was. It didn't have a scent, pussy cat." He whispered to her.

"What did it feel like?" she murmured, nearly half asleep now.

"I don't know..." Kiba shrugged, now feeling thoughtful.

"I didn't really feel it yet. When we get out of here, we're investigating it. Also," he added, now looking worried. "You can sleep. You look exhausted."

Neko muttered, almost inaudibly.

"But… but Shika said…"

Kiba looked into her half-opened eyes.

"I don't care _what_ he said, pussy cat. You can sleep, and I'll sit here and wait for them to come back, _and_ for the vet to say that our companions are ok. Until then, go to sleep. I'll wake you up when something happens, ok?"

"But what about you…?"

The question made him stop in his tracks as he stared at her for a moment before replying:

"Don't worry about me, pussy cat. I'll be fine."

Neko seemed to relax a little bit, but her eyes were still trained on his.

"I'll be fine." Kiba continued to coax her.

With that, she seemed to have calmed down. As she sighed, her head lolled to the side a bit, and her hair fell into her face.

Kiba sighed; she was definitely asleep now.

He couldn't help but stare down at her for a moment, feeling no emotion as he watched her breathe in and out in her slumber.

_"She IS a lot better when she's not talking."_

Kiba smirked to himself as he stared at her for a moment longer, and as soon as he turned his head, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Looking around, he saw that Neko had fallen back and onto his shoulder.

He was pretty close to pushing her off of him, but she sighed peacefully, and he decided against it.

_"I'm not really in the mood to fight right now..."_

Kiba relaxed as Neko sighed deeply, and soon felt himself falling asleep to her rhythmic breathing.

He took one last look at her.

_"Damn, you're annoying..."_

But that's the last thing he remembered as he fell into sleep.

**Shikamaru/Naruto's POV**

As soon as they left the vet, Shikamaru sighed.

"Huh, I wonder if those two will get along. Tempers are running high because of what's happened, and I _bet_ they're both tired like nothing else."

Naruto put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, but since when do they _ever_ get along?"

"Touché."

The two walked the streets, until they noticed that there was a grocery store that hadn't closed yet.

Naruto, of course, ran in there, and then Shikamaru walked in calmly.

It was nearly empty, and a random resident man came up to them.

"You youngsters shouldn't be up this late."

"Yeah, we _know; _we'd rather not _be_ up this late."

The man only laughed and walked away.

Shikamaru said as he walked through the store, looking for the food aisle. "We're just here for food, Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah, I _know_."

They hurried to the fruit section, where Naruto screwed up his face like a spoiled child.

"I don't want fruit. I want Instant Ramen."

Shikamaru shrugged, "Then go get it... although, I don't know where you'd cook it."

Naruto hurried off anyway, whereas Shikamaru started to grab random fruits for them to eat.

_"I wonder how Kiba and Neko are doing. I hope they're not fighting, as usual..."_

Naruto came back in record time with three packs of Instant Ramen, which made Shikamaru sigh, then they went up to the checkout lines.

Surprisingly, they were the only two in line.

The lady at the checkout greeted them with a smile on her face.

"How's the weather today, young couple? Is love in the air?"

This made them both air-gag, and Shikamaru stared at this lady with surprised eyes.

"We're not a couple. He's more like an annoying little brother."

Naruto made a face again. "And he's the know-it-all older brother."

The lady only laughed.

"I'm sorry! I thought pineapple hair here was a girl! How foolish of me."

Shikamaru's eye twitched as he fought to keep himself under control; _never_, under _any_ circumstance, has _anyone_ called him a girl.

"Yeah… how much will the price be for all of this?" Naruto asked, trying to change the subject after seeing Shikamaru's angry face.

The lady smiled. "35 Ryo."

"Really? That's it?!" Naruto exclaimed as he held out the money.

She took it and handed them the bag full of their stuff.

"Yeah, since I was just messing with you two the whole time."

She laughed a throaty laugh which made Shikamaru and Naruto almost piss their pants with anger and nervousness as they high-tailed it out of there.

"Let's go, Shik! I hope Neko and Kiba are holding up ok..."

Naruto said as they ran down the street to the vet again.

"Yeah," Shikamaru sighed. "Me too."

They finally arrived at the small vet office, and Naruto walked in.

"Hey, Kiba! Neko!"

He and Shikamaru both waited for a response, but neither of them moved a muscle.

"Hello...?"

Naruto walked up to the two, but found that they were both fast asleep; Neko's head was resting on Kiba's shoulder, as well as his head was on her head.

Shikamaru face palmed. "And I told them both not to sleep… they're _both_ stubborn."

Naruto's teeth were grinding together in sudden rage as he marched up to Kiba and punched him in the stomach.

"Dog! Wake up!"

Kiba's head shot up as he stared at Naruto, angrily.

"What the hell is your problem, Naruto?!"

Naruto threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"You're sleeping next to Neko! You're not _supposed_ to be sleeping!"

Kiba's eyebrows furrowed in confusion now. "What?"

Naruto gestured toward the sleeping cat-like girl on Kiba's shoulder, which made him instantly tense up.

"I didn't notice-" He started, but Naruto cut him off: "Why were you sleeping?!"

"If you haven't noticed, it's almost 3 in the morning." Kiba growled.

Shikamaru just face palmed again. "What a drag. Wake her up."

Kiba nodded, and shook her. "Pussy cat, wake up." He whispered.

Naruto, for a moment, envied Kiba's soft and gentle tone.

_"Since when...?"_

Neko's eyes opened, slit and angry.

"What'd you wake me up for?!"

She glared at Kiba, whose eyes were wide and confused.

"Because Shik told me to."

Neko looked up at Shikamaru with the same look. "What do you want?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"I told you not to sleep."

Neko got up and yawned.

"Kiba told me I could."

Naruto growled, "You _did_, dog?"

Kiba stood up and grabbed Naruto's orange jumpsuit by the collar.

"Yeah, I did."

Before Kiba could do anything else, the nurse came out of the back.

"…I think you'll need to see your pets."

"_Comrades_." Kiba and Neko corrected under their breaths.

The lady led the two to the back, whereas Naruto and Shikamaru waited in the waiting room.

**Neko/Kiba's POV**

Once they got to the back, Akamaru jumped off of the cot and onto Kiba's head.

"Woah, buddy! I'm glad you're ok!"

Talon meowed and jumped onto Neko's shoulder.

"Talon! You're fine!"

The two animal users hugged their friends close, thanked the nurse, and then walked out to the waiting area, both happier than ever.

**Kiba's POV**

It felt great to have Akamaru back. _"This is the best feeling in the world."_

"I missed you, buddy," Kiba said to Akamaru, who barked back:

_"The reason Talon and I almost died is because of that weird-tasting stuff that this guy fed us. He looked like he worked there."_

Kiba's eyes opened wide. "I think I know who it was."

Akamaru continued_, "And… he kept muttering to himself about blowing up the hotel and killing Talon and I." _

Kiba his anger rise as he balled his fists in resentment.

"Guys, I've got a lead."

* * *

Finally, some significance in the story! Hah, yeah, writing this is kinda comical... I mean, if you have my sense of humor (which many do not...) :) Yeah, I have good ideas for the next couple of chapters, so hold onto your hats, ya'll! Rate and Review! :)

9/13/12: Noooo kidding. This chap was TERRIBLE. Rate/Review!


	12. Investigation!

_Flashback:_

_"The reason Talon and I almost died is because of that weird-tasting stuff that this guy fed us. He looked like he worked there."_

_Kiba's eyes opened wide. "I think I know who it was."_

_Akamaru continued, "And… he kept muttering to himself about blowing up the hotel and killing Talon and I." _

_Kiba his anger rise as he balled his fists in resentment._

_"Guys, I've got a lead."_

Chapter 12: Investigation

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't believe what had just come out of Kiba's mouth; the clerk was plotting to blow up the hotel?!

There were so many questions; why would he do that? What if there actually _are_ other people in there? Also, how did he know that they were going to go to that hotel? What was that stuff that he fed to Akamaru and Talon to make them sick? Why did he want to kill them anyway? How did Kiba not smell the clerk when he was in the room?

"Why would he… how could he…?"

I heard all of the unfinished sentences coming out of my mouth, and I felt pretty stupid.

_"I guess Kiba wasn't jealous when he saw that guy talking to me. He must have sensed SOMETHING, even if it wasn't exactly what we thought it was."_

Kiba was looking at Akamaru worriedly, and Talon meowed at me, saying something about going to check it out again.

Shikamaru was in his thinking pose again, his eyebrows knitted in thought, and Naruto was crossing his arms and pacing, looking as if he knew what was going on, but they all knew he had no clue. He's _Naruto._

_"I'm worried that... that we may have to postpone the mission because of this minor setback..."_

Suddenly, Shikamaru looked up.

"Ok, I've narrowed it down to two options; one, we go and investigate this possibly booby-trapped hotel, or two, we stay out here and find the scroll. Which will it be?"

He looked around to Naruto, who smirked.

"Well, I say that the mission should come first."

I couldn't help but contradict him.

"This _is_ the mission! They're trying to kill us for a reason, so I think we should investigate all of this. It may help us later!"

Kiba was staring into space, appearing to be thinking pretty hard. Finally, he looked up at Shikamaru after a moment.

"It's your choice; you're the leader."

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome; I _knew_ you were going to say that…"

He took a moment to think, and then concluded:

"Yeah. We shall investigate. However, we need to switch up the teams a bit; Kiba and Neko, you're going in. You two are the ones with the animals, and so you'll do a lot of searching and finding. Neko, you're smart enough to put together the pieces. I'm proud enough to say that I taught you that."

Shika smiled at me, and then he turned to Kiba.

"Kiba, you and Akamaru have the sharpest noses I've ever seen. Also, your senses are impeccable when it comes to realizing that something isn't right. You'll know when to get the hell out of the building. Meanwhile, Naruto and I will be doing a _hell_ of a lot of research and shit. Asking around, going to the library… all kinds of shit."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"The LIBRARY?! No! I haven't been there since… ever! All I know is that you can't talk and there's so many books that you could drown in them! No, _please_, Shik, don't make me go!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and smirked.

"We'll be working on your brain... because obviously you need a lot more of it. That's why you're with me. Plus, if I need a powerful voice or some muscle, then you're my guy."

This seemed to at least quiet Naruto down, but he slumped down in a nearby chair.

Shikamaru turned his eyes to Kiba, with a look that resembled the same one I had seen one day when he had to go home and get something of his, and told Temari to take care of me while he was gone.

"Kiba," he finally decided to say.

Kiba looked up at him, his eyes glowing with anticipation. "Yeah?"

Shikamaru sighed, his eyes wandering over to me for a moment.

"Take care of Neko, ok? I don't care how much you two hate each other; protect her with your life, and if you think it's too dangerous, don't let her do it and get her out of the building, got it?"

Kiba looked at him indifferently for a moment, and then sighed. "Got it."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow in doubt. "Are you sure?"

Kiba nodded. "Of course."

Shikamaru sighed, lowering his head.

"You better. Alright, it's a great thing I always come prepared. Here," he handed Kiba a radio with an earpiece. "Radio in if you find out any information or if you need help."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, ok."

The four of us had just walked out of the vet's office when Naruto looked at all of us.

"Well… be safe. We'll crack this case soon."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I hope so."

Shikamaru hugged me:

"Be safe. Don't do anything stupid, and if Kiba says something, listen to him for once."

I snorted; as if I'd listen to a single thing that Kiba said if he was being a jerk. But, when it came down to it, I knew I'd do everything I was told.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, Shika! I'll be fine!" He looked at me, still worried, but he finally semi-accepted it, and sighed.

"Yeah. You'll be fine."

Naruto sighed. "Let's get this over with."

He started off down the street with his hands in his pockets.

Shikamaru hugged me harder.

"Ok, we'll meet up later. It'll be alright."

He stopped abruptly and followed Naruto.

**Kiba's POV**

"_Tch, protect pussy cat with my life? I don't think it's going to happen."_

I stared at pussy cat, who was now staring off at Shikamaru's back.

"C'mon, pussy cat." I called to her, trying to get her attention.

She turned to me with sad, yet determined eyes and snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I _know_, Kiba."

The two of us travelled side-by-side silently to the Sound of the Waves hotel, and once we got into it, I glared down at pussy cat.

"Ok, we'll go up to the room, and then check it out. If I something's wrong, then I'll get you out and I'll go back in and keep checking it out. Ok?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, and I could almost see worry.

"But what… what if those threats were… were true?! What if he blows up the building?!"

I sighed for a moment, and then I shrugged.

"Then I'll just search, find SOME information, and then get the hell out of the building. Satisfying, pussy cat?"

She just glared at me and then started toward the stairs.

I hurried to catch up with her; I wasn't about to let her just wander off without me.

_"As much as I'd like to just let her get killed, my ass would be on the line."_

She glared at me as we walked side-by-side, yet again, up the stairs.

Honestly, I was planning not to talk to her until we get to the very top, but she suddenly stopped.

"What's up, pussy cat?" I growled.

I wasn't mad, but I was a little worried that she had sensed something that I may have missed.

"There wasn't anyone at the desk… didn't you notice?"

Pussy cat stared at me, fear entering her eyes. I even felt myself tense in alarm for a moment.

_"What could that mean? Was it that the hotel was going to explode and the clerk was ready for it, or did it mean absolutely nothing? I'm not just responsible for myself now. I'm responsible for pussy cat's life, too. Not that I care, but if she gets hurt, it's all on me."_

I grabbed pussy cat's hand again, out of some sort of weird habit that was beginning to develop.

"C'mon, pussy cat."

Sooner than I had expected, we reached the top floor. As soon as we did, though, she tore her hand from my grasp.

"I think I'm capable of walking around on my own." Her eyes were unnaturally sharp now, and I nodded.

_"I wonder what could have gotten underneath her skin."_

**Neko's POV**

As much as I enjoyed the silence between Kiba and I, I couldn't help but look down at Talon and Akamaru.

The two seemed to be getting along fine... as if they had been friends for a long time.

_"Weird..."_

As we got onto the top floor, I contemplated on whether I should make him speak to me or not after I pulled away from him.

"Kiba..." I began to speak, but he looked down at me with the most irritated face I've yet to see.

"The hell do you want, pussy cat?"

_"Ok, now he's starting to piss me off..."_

I stared at him for a moment, slowly watching his face turn from angry to confused.

"Nevermind." I muttered.

Kiba stared at me for a moment longer, but didn't say anything as he looked down at our animals.

Talon was glaring up at him, but Akamaru was walking toward me. Now, it's not like I'm afraid of dogs or anything... but he was almost stalking up to me and it made me a little nervous.

I took a step back, and Kiba snorted when he saw this.

"You're such an idiot, pussy cat. He's not gonna hurt you... unfortunately, he _likes_ you and your damn cat."

_"He did not."_

My voice caught in my throat as I couldn't speak anymore; I was much too angry.

I balled my fist up as he smirked at me.

"Come on. Let's get on with this stupid mission. I'm sure Naruto would love to have you back sometime soon."

_"He went too far this time; bringing poor Naruto into this."_

With that, I felt my fist connect with his cheek and sent him flying into the wall.

**Kiba's POV**

Well, it happened so fast I almost couldn't register it in my head, but when I did... that stupid girl better be sorry she was born.

"_That bitch."_

My hands flashed toward her I felt them curl around her neck.

_"This time, I'll squeeze the life out of her."_

If anything, though, my sudden anger was fueled by the stress of this intense investigation.

"The _hell_ was that for, pussy cat?!"

She was looking up at me with fear in her eyes as she murmured.

"I-I was just… um..."

"Just _what_, bitch?"

My fury was growing more and more out of control as I tightened my grip on her neck.

"I'm... sorry..."

Pussy cat managed to say those two words to me.

I gritted my teeth.

"Too late for that, bitch."

To tell the truth, I was only moments from crushing her throat. I wanted her dead. Though... it was one of those flashback moments that stopped me.

I saw myself, two weeks ago, doing the same thing I was now. Then... after that, I saw her wiping her eyes.

I don't know what it was about that that made me stop, but I let her go.

Akamaru was staring up at me angrily, and I shook my head, trying to clear it.

_"Damn..."_

**Neko's POV**

When Kiba put his hands around my neck again, I thought it was over for sure.

_"Why did I hit him? If I had just kept it to myself..."_

The thirst for blood in his eyes was nearly unbearable as I struggled to break free.

Suddenly, though, he let me go.

I collapsed against the wall, feeling the blood in my system start to circulate again.

_"What made him stop? This time, it seemed like he was going to kill me for sure..."_

Struggling to catch my breath, Talon rubbed up against me, her tail flicking angrily at Kiba. I knew she was mad, but if I wanted to speak to her, I couldn't anyway.

One thing I _did_ notice, though, was Kiba staring down at me with so many unreadable emotions in his eyes.

_"I've never seen him look at me like that."_

I wasn't sure if he was looking at me, or through me.

Akamaru was circling his feet, in my point of view looking pretty angry, and Kiba finally tore his eyes from me to look down at the dog.

After a moment, he turned around and growled, heartlessly:

"C'mon, pussy cat."

I don't know what possessed me to do it, but my eyes started to mist over.

_"Don't cry now..." _

I tried reasoning with myself, but I felt so distraught that more tears just kept coming.

**Kiba's POV**

I began walking away, though I wasn't sure about what exactly what I should be feeling. I couldn't even get over how cold my voice was just now.

_"She should be dead right now. I had my head set on it... but... why did I stop?"_

Akamaru snapped me out of my thoughts as he barked:

_"She's not coming."_

I felt my anger rise yet again as I turned to see pussy cat standing there, Talon rubbing against her and glaring at him.

The only thing I really saw, though, were tears running down her cheeks.

_"Asshole,"_ Akamaru growled at me. _"You made her cry!"_

I glared down at him, but decided against replying as I walked back to her, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Listen, pussy cat, let's just get this over with. Don't hit me _anymore_. Ok?"

My voice was still unnaturally hard as I stared at her wet face.

Pussy cat tried to back away from me, but she hit the wall, and she pressed herself up against it.

_"Is she really… afraid of me?" _

An aching feeling started to make my heart beat faster than it should have been.

_"Dammit… I hate when this happens. I didn't mean it... did I?"_

I couldn't even form my thoughts into words as I stopped before I reached her.

Pussy cat was looking up at me with terror in her cat-like eyes.

"Let's go."

Since I couldn't get myself to apologize to her, my voice was only going to get harder.

She stared up at me for a moment.

Then, biting her bottom lip, she got off of the wall and walked timidly up to me.

Talon was glaring at me with eyes like daggers, whereas Akamaru was growling at me with every bad name in the small dog's dictionary.

_"Damn... I wish I could apologize."_

My stupid pride wouldn't let me do _anything_ around her.

Once pussy cat was standing in front of me, I turned and began walking down the hallway to the door that was cut in almost half from only a few hours before.

_"I have to find out what that stuff was..."_

**Neko's POV**

Honestly, I was still shaken as I tried to walk fast after Kiba.

_"He's going too fast... then he'll turn around and yell at me for being slow..."_

My legs suddenly wouldn't work with me. I felt weak and helpless now, even though Talon kept signalling to me that she'd get Kiba back later.

I spotted the door we were supposed to be heading for, and Kiba gradually slowed down.

He turned toward me, his eyes sharp, and I hurried to catch up to him.

Once we were literally side-by-side again, he began walking at a slower pace now.

**Kiba's POV**

I felt her presence behind me now as I neared the door.

_"Here we go..."_

I was a little nervous. Everything had been going pretty well so far, except for me feeling guilty right now, but... when pussy cat and I walked into that room, it could change our lives... or end them.

Without even thinking about it, I turned to her.

"Stay out here. I'll go in first and call you in when I make sure everything is clear. Ok?"

To be honest, I was really worried about what could happen to us.

_"Why do I care about her? I don't. Tch, why WOULD I care about her? She's annoying as hell, all she ever does is hit me and slow me down... and she's a cat. I. Hate. Cats."_

Deep in thought, I didn't realize that she had gotten closer to me until she touched my hand.

Almost automatically, I felt my eyes get sharp as I stared her down.

I opened my mouth to tell her off, but I felt her small hand curl into mine.

_"What the...?"_

Surprised, I searched her face for a reason for this, and found myself staring into her gray eyes.

She was staring at me, concern present in her eyes as she whispered to me:

"Be careful, then."

I was taken aback.

_"She… cares about me? Even after I've made her cry a million times on this mission and treated her... treated her terribly?" _

All I could do in my shock was nod and hold her hand tighter without even thinking about it.

**Neko's POV**

It was instinct.

Don't ask me why, but even though Kiba treats me like shit on a normal basis... I didn't want him to get hurt.

_"Why is that, though?"_

I didn't even bother to answer myself as I stared at him, his eyes digging into mine.

Kiba's eyes were different this time around.

Clear, almost forgiving... maybe even a little...

_"No. Don't even think about it."_

He stared at me for a moment longer, after squeezing my hand lightly, and he muttered: "Okay."

**Kiba's POV**

After finally snapping out of it, I decided to radio in a word to Shik before I went in.

I tore my eyes away from pussy cat's, though I didn't know why I wanted to keep looking into them.

_"Tch. My emotions... how stupid. I know I can't stand pussy cat, so why do I feel this way...?"_

I pressed the button on the small earpiece so I could talk to Shik, though I noticed that my body would only let me move the hand not preoccupied by pussy cat, and I almost snorted.

"Hello?" Shik's voice could be heard through the radio.

"Hey, Shik. We're just about to go into the room. Just to let you know. Tell me if you've found anything."

Almost at once, Shikamaru answered me.

"No, not yet. But what I _have_ found is that the scroll we're looking for is in the hands a clan that lives around... if not, inside this village, so we'll be on the lookout for them. This may mean a little more sneaking around these parts. However, we'll have to be on the lookout; they may very well obviously already know we're here to take it."

I smirked.

"Yeah. I know. Wish us luck."

And with that, I turned off the radio with my free hand.

I looked back at pussy cat, who was staring at me as she took her hand from mine.

"Let me know when you're ready..."

She looked nervous if you asked me, but I tried not to think about her as I walked into the room as calmly as I could.

The dark-colored stuff that I couldn't smell was clearly in plain sight.

_"Gotta make sure the coast is clear..."_

I began walking even more slowly, taking my time while looking around for any sign of a trap.

Akamaru was sniffing around, too, but didn't seem to notice anything out of place.

_"...As far as I can see... nothing in here is going to kill us besides eating this... stuff..."_

**Neko's POV**

I was kinda scared.

_"What if something happens to Kiba in there? What'll I do? He's obviously a lot stronger than I am... so if some other ninja came out at us and he was injured..."_

Shivering at the thought, I looked down at Talon.

Her tail was swishing from side to side, so she seemed to be filled with adrenaline.

_"She seems pumped..."_

I smirked for only a moment, until Kiba turned around and looked at me.

"Come here, pussy cat."

"N-no..."

My rational side was taking over in this instance.

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why not?"

"Be...because... I'm going to stay out here and make sure nothing... nothing comes in!"

_"Why am I stuttering all of a sudden?"_

Sometimes I stuttered right after I got done crying, but this was different.

_"Maybe the adrenaline is starting to kick in..."_

Kiba stared at me for a long moment, then smirked.

"Heh, suit yourself, pussy cat."

The way he adressed me this time made me angry, but I kept my mouth shut as Kiba began investigating it.

Though, I couldn't help but notice this cold, dreadful feeling...

That's when I turned and...

**Kiba's POV**

I walked up to the liquid, slowly, and picked some up, rubbing it until it got off of my fingers.

_"Stupid pussy cat... why can't she do as she's told?"_

Though now, I could hear her breathing hard behind me, and I whispered, trying to stay quiet.

"Calm down, pussy cat."

But a different voice answered me.

"Is that what you call her?"

I froze and whipped my head around to see pussy cat being gagged and bound by the same guy who had pissed me off relentlessly when we had first gotten here; the clerk.

_"The hell is he doing to pussy cat?"_

I don't know why that made me so furious, but it did. Talon ran over to Akamaru and I, while I ground my teeth together, trying to think.

_"It's definately that prick... but... his voice is different. A lot more sinister."_

"The hell are you?" I growled at this guy as he threw pussy cat toward me.

She landed with a sound resembling pain, but before I could do anything, her damn cat started working on the ropes.

"I'm Ryu. Ryu Kalist. I believe my little kitty remembers me, no?"

**Neko's POV**

As Talon untied me, the man's name, Ryu, made my world stop.

Time froze.

I stopped breathing.

_"That name..."_

It hurt to think about.

I felt pain everywhere in my body. All over. I don't know why...

_"No..."_

During all of this, I almost didn't even notice that Kiba had grabbed me and sat me next to him.

"...Kitty, don't you remember all of the fun times we had together?"

I grabbed Kiba's hand on impulse as Ryu walked toward he and I.

"L-leave me… leave me alone…"

Ryu was glaring at me.

"Oh, what's the matter kitty?" he taunted. "Don't you remember the last time we met?"

**Kiba's POV**

Watching pussy cat become the way she was at that moment was one of the worst things I've ever seen; she looked _tormented._

"Get out of my life!"

Ryu taunted her again.

"_Aww_… the last time you saw me, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Poor thing. At least your dear _parents_ came back to-"

_"SHUT UP!"_ She wailed.

Without even thinking about it, I pushed her behind me, feeling _another_ protective impulse rise from myself.

"You're hurting her."

I glared up at this Ryu guy.

_"Who is he and what the hell did he do to pussy cat?"_

Ryu's eyebrow cocked up as he looked at me, passing the two of us to stand by the window, only a few feet away from us.

"And who might _you_ be?"

"Kiba Inuzuka."

"Ohh," Ryu said, almost giddy-like.

"The dog clan! How cute…" I cut him off, not feeling like taking any of his bullshit.

"What the hell do you want?"

Ryu just looked at me, a sadistic look on his face. "Nothing, actually. Just for you two to die, nothing special."

My eyes widened, but I couldn't say anything.

"Especially... for kitty to die. She knows I spared her once, but I won't do it again..."

I looked back to see pussy cat flinch and bury her face in her hands, Talon rubbing up against her comfortingly.

_"Hell no."_

My head snapped toward Ryu.

_"He made her cry... he'll PAY for that one!"_

I stood up without even thinking about it and started running toward him.

**Neko's POV**

I remembered.

This man... he was the cause of everything I knew and loved... to disappear.

_"It's all his fault..."_

I was very, very upset, I almost didn't even hear the short conversation going on between Kiba and Ryu, but when Kiba stood up and started rushing toward him, I had to stop him before he got hurt.

"Don't!"

My voice sounded a lot more upset than normal, and Kiba stopped in his tracks and stared at me.

"What the hell are you talking about, pussy cat? This guy hurt you... and you don't want me to kick his ass?"

His eyes were fire as they dug into mine, but I felt more tears building up as I shook my head.

"You... you don't know what he's capable of... please..."

Kiba only stared at me for a moment longer and sighed, walking back toward me.

"I still want to know what the hell you want with us."

Kiba was still glaring at Ryu, who laughed as he took a kunai and threw it to the ceiling.

I watched through my tears as whatever he hit made an exploding sound, but nothing had moved.

"I set up paperbombs all around this hotel, in the walls, roof, stairs... that will go off whenever they feel like it... they're extremely tempermental.. This place will implode on itself in about three minutes... unless you can get out without dying, of course. Think of it as a training course..."

My breath caught in my throat.

_"This is just like..."_

I felt my hand find it's way up to my mouth and cover it in agony, but Ryu disappeared before I could do anything about it.

**Kiba's POV**

I watched this guy disappear in a cloud of smoke... but I also watched pussy cat start to cry again.

_"He just made her cry... twice."_

My teeth were grinding together again as I helped her up.

"C'mon, pussy cat. Let's get out of here."

She looked up at me, her eyes shining with pain and sadness.

"Okay."

Pussy cat stood up on her own now, and I led her to the door, only to hear a loud bomb-like noise.

I watched her flinch as we reached the door.

"It's ok. I'll be right behind you, pussy cat. I'll make sure we both get out alive this time."

She turned to look at me, but I pushed her enough to get her going while picking Akamaru up and putting him on my head so he wouldn't get left behind.

I watched as she fled down the hallway, and I had to run as fast as I could to keep up with her.

_"I'm not going to let her get hurt."_

This time, though, I wasn't willing to argue with myself over that particular thought. It was true. Today, I wasn't going to let anything happen to pussy cat. Even if it killed me.

As I was thinking this thought, something flashed in the corner of my eye.

"Watch out!"

I jumped and grabbed her in my arms, pressing her close to my chest as we slid away from the explosion that could have damn well killed us both.

**Neko's POV**

_"I wish I was watching what the hell I was doing..."_

There was no doubt in my mind that Kiba had just saved my life.

"Are you ok?"

Kiba lifted me up to my feet, and I nodded, only seeing the worry disappear from his eyes.

"Let's go."

I took off in front of him again, but I could still feel the heat as I began running down the stairs.

_"Only three floors left to go."_

Talon had decided to let me carry her just in case, and I looked back to see Kiba only a step behind me.

Once we hit the bottom of the steps, he grabbed my hand.

"Come on! If this floor is like this, then... the floors under these will be even worse!"

I almost couldn't focus due to all of the red and orange that was polluting my mind.

_"It reminds me..."_

Trying not to think about it, I focused on running in a straight line all the way to the next flight of stairs.

**Kiba's POV**

Watching pussy cat's every step, I kept my eyes trained on the ground, as well as the walls and the ceiling.

_"Shit, whoever this Ryu asshole is, he got us."_

We ran down the next set of stairs, to find that it was a little too hot to proceed.

_"We're on the second floor, right?"_

I asked myself as I looked out the window.

The ground wasn't too far down, and at most we would break an arm or something if we landed terribly.

"Pussy cat," I called to her.

She looked back at me, fear in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"We have to jump."

Her eyes widened.

"...Wh-why?!"

Before I could answer, though, a crack could be heard from the ceiling above us.

_"Shit."_

Thinking quickly, I grabbed pussy cat, crouching and holding her head underneath mine.

**Neko's POV**

I heard a crack, but nothing happened as Kiba grabbed me and held me close to his body.

_"Is this... even Kiba? Since when...?"_

Sighing, I couldn't finish the thought as I noticed the ceiling now moments from falling on us.

"C'mon, pussy cat. We _have_ to jump."

There was only worry in his eyes as he gazed at me and muttered:

"If we don't... we'll die."

My breath caught in my throat when I thought about it.

The ceiling cracked again and Kiba shoved me toward the window as he broke it with his fist.

"You have to trust me!"

His eyes were begging me, but I shook my head.

"Don't you stupid cats always land on your damn feet?! Pussy cat, I promise you're not gonna get hurt."

His arms tightened around my waist as the ceiling creaked again, and the flames got a little more intense by the moment.

"You _have_ to trust me."

Despite time running out, I took a moment to think about it.

_"What if... he kills me?" "No, he'd never kill you. Not at this point in time."_

"...Okay."

Kiba stood back.

"I'll let you go first. It's ok."

I felt my face freeze, but I walked over to the window and stood in it.

It actually wasn't as high as I thought it was, so I bit my lip, holding Talon close to my chest, but before I could jump, a large explosion distracted me.

"Damn!" I heard Kiba curse as he held Talon and I close and threw us out the window.

_"I should have known he was trying to kill me!"_

My conscience was raging at the moment, but it stopped when it realized that Kiba's arms were still around me.

**Kiba's POV**

Without a second thought, I launched both myself and Akamaru as well as pussy cat and Talon out the window.

I couldn't help but feel guilty.

_"Dammit," _I cursed myself. _"I can't believe I couldn't protect her like Shik told me to. It's my fault. I couldn't even protect myself. I can't protect pussy cat if I can't protect myself."_

Though, in mid air for only a moment, I turned so I would hit the ground first.

_"It's the least I can do. We're both gonna get hurt anyway, right?"_

A deafening explosion made me turn to look back at the building we had been in, but it was just a ball of fire at this point. Flaming debris was flying out of the inferno, so I had to dodge for both pussy cat and I.

_"Shit."_

My eyes widened when a large chunk of metal caught my eye as it headed straight for us.

I tried to turn so I could kick it away, but it only made pussy cat and I's balance turn into a nightmare as we both got hit by this piece of metal.

She cried out in pain as I bit my lip, trying to stay the stronger one of us.

_"That shit was HOT." _I could literally feel my skin burning inside my jacket from where it had hit me.

Before I knew it though, I hit a hard surface and I couldn't feel pussy cat in my arms anymore.

_"If I lose her... Shik will kill me..."_

I hit the ground on my back, causing the radio to break on impact.

Akamaru crawled out of my jacket and whimpered, seeming worried: _"Are you ok?" _

I got up fine, even if I was a bit sore.

"Yeah, buddy, I'm fine. The one I'm worried about, though, is pussy cat."

To tell the truth, I staggered a bit when I saw how destroyed the building was. Not one part of it was left standing.

There were townspeople gathering around the ruins, I could see them, but I was behind hidden a gigantic slab of concrete.

_"I bet Naruto and Shik are running here right now. Probably going insane or something."_

That's when it hit me; _"I've gotta go find pussy cat. What if she's hurt? What if she's… dead?"_

I dared ask myself that question, and I ran through the debris, even though I could feel a small limp in my bruising leg.

"Pussy cat? C'mon… it's ok, it's me. Come out. I just want to make sure you're ok. Please?"

Suddenly, I picked up her scent, and it seemed as if Akamaru did too, because he ran in front of me.

"Alright, I'll follow you, buddy. Lead me to her." I whispered.

Akamaru led me through a maze of broken items and bed accessories, until he stopped in front of a pile of concrete.

Akamaru whimpered. _"She's behind here." _

Without thinking, yet again, I ran toward the pile and made my way around it, and that's when I saw her.

Her hair was spread out messily, and her arms were loosely around her damn cat. Talon jumped up and started to paw at pussy cat's face, but she didn't move.

I started breathing heavily; _never_, in my _life, _had I been so nervous about someone dying before, besides Akamaru.

My heart rate had sped up significantly.

"Sh-shit..." My voice escaped from my mouth.

_"Get up, pussy cat. Please…"_ I mentally willed for her to twitch... move... talk... something, but she didn't make a sound.

Pussy cat looked as if she was dead; with her eyes closed and blood pouring out of her right shin.

I felt a sudden, sharp pain where my heart was. It was a very, very sharp pang; a pang of loss.

_"No… pussy cat, you can't be dead. You CAN'T be dead."_

I heard myself thinking that line over and over again as my legs began knocking together nervously as I took off running toward her, blindly.

As soon as I regained control of them, I dropped onto my knees.

Talon and Akamaru followed me at a slower pace, but at this moment, I didn't give a damn.

"H...hell no..."

I shook my head as I prodded pussy cat's shoulder lightly, trying to get her to respond.

"P-pussy cat, you have to get up. I'm serious..."

But she didn't even move.

I don't know why, but I had always planned for this moment. The moment when I saw her dead body lying in front of me. I told myself I should be happy, but... all that would come was pain.

_"Why do I feel this way?!"_

Asking myself that question got a little annoying, but I still felt like I needed to find the answer.

Just to... make sure... I touched her face. Despite the heat, her cheeks were cold.

I lifted her up so that her head fell against my arm.

No matter what her fate was, her face looked peaceful, as if she was just sleeping.

This made me suddenly feel my eyes filling with tears as I wiped them away.

_"I never got to apologize to her. I never got to tell her… how sorry I am about the way I treat her…"_

I let my head fall, softly, on top of hers and closed my eyes, feeling the pain sink in.

_"I'm such a terrible person."_

Suddenly, I felt her body convulse, as if she was taking a large gulp of air.

Taking my head off of hers, I watched her open her cat-like eyes again.

I had never been so relieved to see those eyes of hers, and I felt a gigantic smile light my face up.

"Neko… you're ok."

It was that moment when I realized that I had never called her by her name until that moment, and I couldn't think of a more fitting one; I thought I had lost her. The one person I can't stand, yet the one person who makes me feel... this emotion.

**Neko's POV**

As I opened my eyes, I felt widespread pain all throughout my body, but mainly on my right shin.

My vision was blurry as I looked up and spotted Kiba standing above me.

He murmured my name, and I smiled at him.

"K-Kiba..."

"Shh."

He silenced me with a glare.

"But... but... my shin..."

No matter the pain, I was tired. So tired, in fact, I could probably fall asleep right there.

It was as if he knew exactly how I was feeling as he smiled softly.

"You can sleep if you want to. I'll try to find Shik and Naruto."

_"Is he... just going to leave me here?!"_

I opened my mouth to protest, but he looked to his side and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"What do you want, you prick?"

Turning my head ever so slightly, I could see Ryu not too far from where we were.

Through my drunken state, I could barely see anything, but I was attentive enough to listen.

"I don't want anything... I was just checking to see how you two were doing."

Akamaru growled at Ryu, whereas I could barely see Talon's flicking tail.

"Why don't you fuck off?"

Kiba snarled, sounding angrier than I had ever heard him as he pushed his face close to mine protectively.

"How touching," Ryu taunted again, making Kiba's throat rumble with a low growl, and he shrugged.

"Kitty, come and get me when you're ready."

His tone made me shiver as Ryu teleported away.

I looked up at Kiba, who still looked beyond irritated, and he looked down at me, his eyes softening at once.

"Go ahead and sleep."

I wasn't sure if it was my mind that made his voice seem soft and almost caring, but I heeded his advice as I fell into a deep sleep.

Though, the last thing I remember seeing was Kiba's cocky smirk, and my last conscious thought being:

_"Maybe he's learning to accept me..."_

* * *

Ok, personal opinion time: that was, _BY FAR_, _THE_ most romantic chapter I've _EVER_ written, (I think…) but _YOU_ be the judge! I cried writing this… I know it's kind of long, but I'm making up for that really short one that I wrote… Rate/Review! :)_  
_

9/16/12: Most romantic my ass. xD If you keep reading... you'll see a lot more romance than THIS. xD Rate/Review!


	13. This Changes Everything!

_Flashback:_

_I looked up at Kiba, who still looked beyond irritated, and he looked down at me, his eyes softening at once._

_"Go ahead and sleep."_

_I wasn't sure if it was my mind that made his voice seem soft and almost caring, but I heeded his advice as I fell into a deep sleep._

_Though, the last thing I remember seeing was Kiba's cocky smirk, and my last conscious thought being:_

_"Maybe he's learning to accept me..."_

Chapter 13: This Changes Everything!

**Kiba's POV**

I watched Neko close her eyes and fall asleep, but I smiled to myself.

_"I called her by her name."_

To be completely honest, I was kinda proud of myself. Since when, under _any_ circumstance, did I _ever_ call pussy cat by her name?

Akamaru was barking up at me.

_"I'm surprised at how nice you were and how willing you were about giving your life up to save hers back there."_

My ears burned as my dog said this out loud.

"Hey, shut up! I don't want _anyone_ to hear about that, okay?!"

Akamaru only shrugged and wagged his tail happily.

Talon was pacing around, looking tired and bored at the same time.

I tore my eyes away from the animals for a moment to see pussy cat smile in her sleep.

This made me smile as well, but I was now getting irritated at myself.

_"Am I becoming annoying, too?! Did she rub off on me?!"_

Trying to convince myself that this was so, I sat there, arguing with myself, but I lost because I knew it was some sort of a lie.

Before I could speculate on why this was a lie, a voice interrupted me.

"Is anyone dead down there?!"

I looked up to see Naruto heading toward pussy cat and I.

"Oh, hey Kiba! So, I see the mission-"

"Was a failure."

I finished his sentence, which made his eyes widen.

"So... you found out...?"

"Nothing. I almost got both of us killed."

Naruto looked down, eyeing pussy cat in my arms.

"Is she...?"

"She's fine. I told her she could sleep."

"Stop finishing my sentences!"

I slipped my arm around her body and lifted her up, making Talon hiss at me.

"Ok, well, where's Shik?"

"Here."

Shikamaru slid down to the spot where we were all gathered, and glanced at pussy cat.

"...She better be ok, Inuzuka."

"She's fine! Damn, Shik, you'd think I killed her..."

He only glared at me for a moment, but continued.

"Ok, well, since we _obviously_ can't investigate anything around here, let's walk down the streets. We've gotta think of another plan."

I sighed.

"I'm exhausted."

Naruto nodded as well, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Let's get the hell out of _here,_ then. We _obviously_ didn't blow this place up, but we don't need the whole Sound Village thinking we did. It'd be a drag getting kicked out of here, then having to face Lady Tsunade…" He shuddered, but Naruto adjusted his headband.

"Hell, I'm not scared of Grandma Tsunade one bit!"

I glanced down at Akamaru, who was walking close to Talon. They were both staring at pussy cat in my arms.

Before I could even get a moment to think about it, Naruto had turned to me.

"Are you sure she's ok?"

"She's fine!" My voice exploded from my mouth.

_"I don't see why the hell he's so worried. She's fine."_

Both of them were staring at me, distrustfully, and I snorted:

"If you don't trust me, then why don't one of _you_ carry her?! Do you think I _want_ to?"

Naruto's cheeks turned a weird pink color as he scratched them.

"...Um..."

Shik only waved me off.

"I need my hands if I'm going to lead the team."

_"That's what I thought. Assholes."_

For whatever reason, I was suddenly in a bad mood and I had no idea why.

_"Huh. Weird..."_

I followed, closely, behind Naruto and Shik as I watched pussy cat's limp legs dangle with every step I took.

It didn't take much to sneak by all of the civilians as we made our escape into the forest as the sun was coming over the horizon.

Though, that was the moment when she twitched in my arms and her eyes shot open.

**Neko's POV**

"K-Kiba?"

I heard my own voice, sounding more tired than I was. It was dawn, and I had only slept an hour and maybe thirty to forty five minutes all night.

His gaze went from staring into the space ahead of us to my face.

"Yeah?"

I smiled.

"Thank you for helping me."

Kiba stared at me for a moment, and then he sighed.

"Sure."

Suddenly feeling energized, I jumped out of his arms, spotting Shika and Naruto.

"Neko!"

Naruto said my name quite enthusiastically, and Shika only smiled at me before turning back around to see where we were going.

As soon as I hit the ground, I flinched and looked down to see my shin bleeding.

_"It hurts..."_

Before I could do anything about it, Kiba picked me back up.

Automatically, without thinking about it, I kicked him in the face.

_"Shit..."_

I realized what I had done moments later, and Kiba dropped me, walking ahead.

"Kiba..."

But he turned to me without saying anything and continued walking.

"Kiba!"

My voice became louder, almost... more desperate.

_"No, don't think about that..."_

He turned to me again.

"Tch, pussy cat."

For the first time ever... he didn't yell at me. The worst he did... was drop me.

His face wasn't even angry. He even smirked at me.

For whatever reason, though, it made me a little pissy.

_"Again with the nickname."_

I thought inwardly, sighing aloud.

_"I should have known it wasn't going to last."_

"Are you ok?"

Shikamaru was staring at me now, while Naruto was glaring at Kiba.

"I'm fine, Shika!"

"Are you sure you can walk, Neko?"

Naruto had now turned to me, and I glared at him,

_"Psh, w__hat's up with this team and thinking I'm completely useless? I can walk!"_

He seemed to get the point, dense as he was, and he scratched the back of his head.

"Right… lead the way, Shik!"

"No. Hang on. Kiba, get back here."

Shikamaru directed his order to the idiot, and he turned and walked, obediantly, back over to where we all were.

"Yeah?"

"Carry Neko. She's obviously injured, and neither Naruto or I can do it right now."

I felt my cheeks heat up for some reason, when in reality, I was pissed at Shik.

_"How could he do this to me?! I can walk."_

Kiba seemed to think the same.

"Why would I help her? She kicked me in the face."

"Do it."

"Fine."

He, reluctantly, walked over to me and lifted me up with ease.

I noticed Talon flicking her tail at him angrily, but she didn't seem to do anything about it as we all kept walking.

It seemed to be hours and hours, but must have only been a few minutes.

Naruto and Shika were talking small talk, but I was too far behind them to hear exactly what they were talking about.

I looked up at Kiba, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.

_"I wonder what's on that dog's mind. He's never quiet. It's like he can't shut up… like a… second Naruto!"_

I snickered out loud briefly, barely enough to make Kiba look at me, and when he did, his face turned into a frown.

"What the hell is so funny, pussy cat?"

He sounded irritated, so I smirked.

"Your face?"

Though, I could almost laugh at the scowl on his face; it was as if he was resisting the urge to throw me to the ground.

"_Now to push him even further."_

"Dog boy..." I started.

"Pussy cat." he countered.

"I was going to ask you a _question_…"

"Then hurry up."

Staring up at his angry face, I felt a confused look breed onto my face.

_"Why is he so annoyed all of a sudden?"_

"Well," I started. "I was just wondering… what's it like to be around dogs all the time?"

I looked at Akamaru, who was walking calmly next to Talon at his feet; it was like they were good friends.

Kiba looked like he had to do a double-take on what I had asked him, and he shrugged.

"Well… what's it like to be around Talon?"

That question asked, I couldn't help but smile.

"Great! It's easily the only thing I ever want to do!"

He nodded, staring ahead.

"Yeah, the same with Akamaru and I."

I felt a smirk come up my face again. "So… do you like cats?"

Kiba looked at me now, clearly disgusted.

"Hell no. They're the most irritating creatures on the face of the planet. They're next only to you, pussy cat."

This was enough to make me automatically him and jump out of his arms.

Before he could do anything about it, I hurried to join Shikamaru a few paces in front of us. Naruto, having heard the whole exchange between us, looked at me for a moment, smiling, then smirked and joined Kiba at the back of the group.

**Kiba's POV**

When that stupid girl hit me in the face _again_, I felt nothing but anger.

_"I hate her. She better stop fucking hitting me or I'm gonna fucking hit her."_

I could literally _feel_ my anger bubbling up inside me as Naruto walked beside me now.

"Hey, Kiba! I saw you just got slapped."

I glared at the blondie.

"Fucking moron. Shut up."

Irritation was staring to show in Naruto's eyes as he glared at me, but we walked in silence for a minute.

"So... um..."

Naruto looked nervous now as he dropped his voice to a low whisper.

"Do you think Neko might... you know... like me? Maybe? Can you see it?"

My eyebrow twitched.

_"It's bad enough I have to look at her every day. I don't want to talk about that bitch."_

"I don't care about anything that has to do with pussy cat right now. Ok?"

I was calmer than I thought I'd be, my hands hurting because of the tight fists I was making.

Naruto looked at me funny for a minute.

"You know, all she wants is for you to accept her as a person."

My feet stopped moving as I turned to look at Naruto. His blue eyes were earnest as he stared straight into my soul.

_"I guess he's right, but why would I ever accept her as a person? She'll always be a stupid cat to me."_

"Ok." That was the only thing I could say amidst my furiously working brain.

Akamaru jumped onto my shoulder, his tail wagging, which distracted Naruto for a full five seconds before he turned to me again.

"I'd try harder if I were you."

"And why would that be?"

I glared at him again.

_"I don't like her. I will never like her. She's so annoying. Everything about her is annoying."_

The blonde idiot smiled like a maniac.

"Because I like it when she's happy."

My teeth bore at the thought of her stupid face smiling her stupid smile at stupid Naruto.

_"Tch, how stupid."_

"I don't really care if she's happy or not, honestly."

When I said that, though, this weird feeling hit me like a sack of bricks on my chest area.

_"You're lying."_

Akamaru barked from my shoulder, and I bore my teeth at him.

_"I'm not lying! I'm being very serious!"_

I could almost hear myself say it, but I couldn't because Naruto looked pretty pissed.

"Why don't you care?! Do you _like_ making her cry?! Because believe it or not you make her cry a lot more than you think you do."

My heart stopped as I stared at Naruto's fiery eyes.

_"I hate watching her cry."_

"...No." I muttered. "I don't like making her cry."

Naruto's face lit up like Christmas.

"So, you DO care?!"

I shook my head.

"Hell no."

"Yeah, you do! If you really don't like making her cry, then you _somewhat_ care!"

I shook my head once more.

"You're full of it, idiot."

"I am not! Anyway, though, you're serious about not liking it when she's crying?"

Without hesitating, I nodded.

We had fallen behind far enough that Shik and pussy cat couldn't hear what we were talking about, and I was still kinda pissed at myself.

_"Tch... why would I tell Naruto that?"_

The orange-wearing kid smirked.

"So, uh, back to my original question... do you think she... might possibly like me?"

"I wouldn't know," I looked away for a moment, kicking a stray rock.

"I mean... I don't really care about most of her feelings. Not like she talks to me about it or anything, I mean, she hates me, I hate her, so why would we-"

Naruto waved his hands to stop me in the middle of my sentence.

"She doesn't hate you! If anything, she wants to be your friend."

For the second time that day, I stopped.

_"Friends, huh?"_

I thought about it, but the more I did, I felt like shit.

_"If that's the case... why the hell do I treat her so terribly?"_

If I could stop doing the things I normally do to her without hurting my pride, I would probably be her friend so Naruto would leave me the hell alone. Honestly.

"If you want me to, I guess I'll try a little harder to be nice."

The muttered reply escaped from my mouth, and as soon as it went through Naruto's nearly empty head, he pumped his fist.

"You'll thank me later, buddy! Once you get to know her, she's the nicest person you'll ever hope to meet!"

I snorted. "Nice? Please. She can be meaner than I am sometimes."

"Because you're usually mean first, right?"

I growled. "Maybe."

Akamaru's tail suddenly began to wag as he jumped off of my shoulder and ran in the direction of some trees.

"Akamaru?! Wait!"

Naruto and I chased my dog until we stumbled upon Shik and pussy cat with something in their hands.

**Neko's POV**

Talon walked in between Shika and I, which made Shikamaru glance down.

"You're happy, Neko?" He asked me suddenly.

"Yeah, Shika! For the most part… at least."

I added on the last part in a whisper.

Of course, Shikamaru caught it and stared at me.

"Why is that?"

I shrugged. "I kind of want to get this mission over with. It'd be nice to just chill out for a day."

Shika smiled as the sun hit his face.

"Yeah. It's pretty much a drag having to work and walk everywhere _all day_ when I could be _sleeping_ right now."

I smiled, remembering finding him in the most odd places and he was sound asleep.

"Yeah, no kidding. Speaking of sleep…we all need some."

We both looked back at Kiba and Naruto, who were both lagging behind because of what seemed like exhaustion.

"Yeah, you're right, but where would we sleep? I'm sure people are probably all over our asses after what just happened, and now they're probably looking for us. We'd need a lookout, and _no one_ wants to do that."

Shika looked pretty stressed as he rubbed his head.

"I guess... we could find a cave! There are mountains around here!"

I smiled at my bright idea, and Shika closed his eyes.

"Sure, if we can find one that's big enough for all four of us, plus you and Kiba's damn animals."

Talon hissed at Shika's feet, making him put his hands up in defense at the cat.

"Sorry, I know… but we went through a _hell_ of a lot of shit for you two."

Talon just flicked her tail and narrowed her eyes, which made me laugh.

"She's going to remember this. Trust me. The next time you play Shogi, she'll attack your head."

Shikamaru just sighed.

"That's going to be a drag…"

I laughed, then stopped suddenly. Talon did the same at the same time. I glanced up at the sky to see a bird circling overhead.

_"Is that...?"_

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose, as he thought about what I could be thinking of.

Suddenly, the bird swooped down with a leaf symbol on the note it carried in its mouth.

I stared wide-eyed at Shikamaru, who ran up with me to receive the letter. The bird squawked loudly, and Talon growled as it flew away.

Shikamaru took the letter, and read it with me:

_Dear Team Shikamaru,_

_ I have decided that you will need more man-power with this particular mission. I have sent two people who will be of good use to you. The Intel I have concluded from my studies confirms that there is a secret room somewhere in the village that will lead you to where the scroll is being held. The two ninja I have sent to you are very good Shinobi who will help you in retrieving the scroll. However, also, my studies have led me to the conclusion that the scroll has a sister scroll; it is pink. We only need the brother scroll; it is green. The sister scroll is held in the Sound Village definately, but the brother scroll was held in a place just outside of the Sound Village. Though, said place no longer exists, but you could find out exactly where it was at the time from the villagers. When you find the brother scroll, it contains vital information. DO NOT LOSE IT. You will have to figure out the rest on your own, but I'm sure you will all be able to do this with flying colors. Good luck on this mission. DO NOT reply to this message; it was risky enough just sending this one._

_ Return safely,_

_ Lady Tsunade_

Shikamaru looked at me with a knowing look, then turned to the confused idiots who had just now caught up to us.

"There are two other ninja who will be helping us on this mission. I guess that changes everything, huh?"

Naruto put his hands behind his head.

"I swear… if it's Shino, I will personally rage-quit this mission. Just saying, Shik."

Shika shook his head.

"Lady Tsunade didn't say who it was."

I looked at the paper that was now in my hand with curiousity.

"I wonder _when_ she sent this message…"

Kiba spoke up. "Akamaru can tell."

The small white dog went up to me, and I lowered it to let him sniff at it.

After taking a moment to ponder it, Akamaru barked a reply to Kiba.

"It was written about… a week and a half ago. So that means, that it took roughly a week and four days to get this letter to us. Which means… whoever is coming with us is pretty much right around the corner."

"I'm impressed, dog boy." I teased with a small smirk dancing on my face.

"Here, I thought you were dull and stupid, but you can actually put two and two together. Guess that means you're somewhat smart."

I watched in satisfaction as Kiba's teeth grinded together in suppressed rage as he bared his sharp-looking teeth at me.

"You're asking for it, pussy cat."

Naruto just looked around.

"I dunno about you guys, but I'm taking a nap."

He began to walk off in the direction of the forest, and the rest of us shrugged; whatever.

I smiled at the team, making sure to smile extra wide when I saw Kiba's face.

"We should _all_ go take naps."

Shikamaru just shrugged. "Yeah… it's at least 5 or 6 in the morning. We'll all die from exhaustion by the time our new teammates get here. We'll have to find a good spot."

**Kiba's POV**

I followed Shikamaru, Naruto, and the most annoying person on the planet… Neko… to the forest.

_"Tch, pussy cat is just lucky I'm not going to attack her… especially in front of Shik. The first thing he'd do is kill me. I don't know what that idiot, Naruto, sees in her. There's nothing to see if you ask me. She's just a problem on two feet. A problem that I don't want to deal with."_

As if she could hear my thoughts, she turned and smiled at me.

_"Weird."_

I glanced down to see Akamaru staring intently at pussy cat's stupid cat.

_"The hell is HIS problem?"_

I stared at pussy cat's back for a moment, all of the things that Naruto had said to me rang in my mind.

_"She wants to be your friend."_

The line would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

_"Why doesn't she just leave me alone and I'll leave her alone?! It's tough as hell not to strangle her on a normal basis..."_

Her long, shiny black locks of hair fell from her head and bounced lightly on her shoulders and a little beyond.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I would like to pull them out of her head sometimes, but... maybe I'd try being nice.

_"It's not like it'll kill me. I'll try it. But if it doesn't work, then I'll just go back to the old ways."_

I kept arguing with himself until Shikamaru seemed to have found a place that he was satisfied with.

"Ok," he was giving orders. "No one is going to keep watch, but if you hear something or have any suspicions, wake everyone else up immediately. We don't want any accidents."

That's when it hit me: since all of our stuff had been burned in the hotel, we were left with just soil.

_"Psh, I don't mind. Any sleep is sleep to me." _

Before I had the chance to lay down and get comfortable, pussy cat had walked up to me, looking nervous and almost regretful.

"Kiba," she started.

All I could do was glare at her.

_"She pissed me off earlier. There's NO WAY I'm showing her any soft spots."_

"Um…" she sounded as if she had lost all of her confidence.

"S-Shika says I should sleep in-between you and him… I was just… pointing it out."

I scowled at her more fiercely. "Fine by me. But if you or your stupid cat touch me in my sleep, I'll have no problem kicking you."

I took in the look on her face with satisfaction; she looked horrified.

_"At least this means she'll heed my warning. I've had just about enough of her and her stupid cat."_

My other, more rational thoughts kicked in.

_"Nicer to her my ass..."_ I bit my lip as the guilt sank in.

But before I could stop looking at her, Shikamaru looked between the two of us.

"Neko… cover your shin up before it gets infected. We can't have that."

She only nodded, and went off into the forest; quieter than I've ever seen her go.

_"Tch, pussy cat."_ I growled in my thoughts.

I lied down a good ways away from Shikamaru, who was also a good ways away from Naruto and thought to myself:

_"I swear… if pussy cat touches me… I'll hit her in the face. I don't care how nice I have to be to her."_

I glanced down at Akamaru, who was lying next to me on my right side, looking content.

"I can't believe you're friends with that devil cat, boy." I muttered.

Akamaru looked up at me with tired eyes and barked:

_"She's not a devil! She's nice."_

I felt my eyes roll as I snorted.

"Yeah, ok. Let's just fall asleep before pussy cat comes back and decides that aggravating me is better than sleeping."

**Neko's POV**

I was half-asleep on my feet as I walked as fast as I could to find _something_ to put over my foot.

_"Ah... I-I can't..."_

Even my thoughts sounded nearly asleep as I stumbled for a moment over my own feet.

_"I don't care about my foot... I just need some more sleep..."_

I tripped again, but I didn't fall completely.

"Watch what you're doing, Neko!"

Naruto's familiar voice sounded far away in my drowsy state.

"Oh... hi Naruto." I felt a small yawn escape from my lips, and Naruto laughed as he helped me up.

"Here, I made your job easier; this was on my jumpsuit!"

He handed me this really big green leaf.

"Thanks..."

I wasn't enthusiastic because the only thing I wanted was to close my eyes on my own nice, warm bed back in Konoha.

"I'll put it on."

Naruto grabbed the leaf from me as he bent down to examine my shin.

"Stay still."

His soft tone reached me and almost made me stumble into sleep as I held myself to the spot I was in.

Only a moment passed as he finally stood up.

"Neko; about Kiba..."

The sound of his name made my heart skip a beat, but I didn't know why.

"He... I don't know why he doesn't like you, but I know for a fact that he cares about your feelings."

"...Really?"

I was almost too tired to care, but when it came to Kiba caring about my feelings, this was something to think about.

"Yeah! He told me... he really hates it when he makes you cry."

My heart kept beating faster and faster as Naruto continued:

"I guess... no matter how much he seems to enjoy seeing you in pain, he hates it. I could see it in his face, Neko; it's not a lie. He really cares about your feelings, even if he won't admit it."

_"Kiba... cares about my feelings?"_

The more Naruto seemed to say, the more interested I became.

"Well, Neko, let's get back. Shik is probably waiting."

I nodded and followed Naruto at a slow pace, as he kept trying not to let me fall.

Once we entered the clearing, I noticed, faintly, Kiba's unmoving body.

_"There he is..."_

Akamaru was lying down on his left side, and they both seemed somewhat asleep.

"Shik said I can't sleep by you, soo..."

Naruto smiled for a moment, then he hugged me.

"I guess I'll see you when we wake up! And,"

A small smile engulfed his face.

"Why don't you try sleeping next to him? He'll probably let you."

With that, Naruto ran to the opposite corner of the clearing and lied down, seeming to instantly fall asleep.

I don't know what it was that possessed me to do it, but I took Naruto's advice.

**Kiba's POV**

I closed my eyes, and but almost as soon as I did, I felt something underneath my chin.

My eyes shot wide open, expecting that stupid cat rubbing it's ass on my face, but I didn't see any trace of a tail.

I glanced down and saw black hair covering my lips. I raised my hand, about to hit whatever it was, thinking it was Talon, but then I realized that it was human.

"_What…?"_

I thought, completely perplexed.

As I took a deep breath, I realized it was none other than pussy cat herself.

_"Is this... real...?"_

Akamaru whimpered at me, sounding a little like a whistle.

_"She's asleep, isn't she?"_

I couldn't turn and glare at him, but I growled.

"I guess. I'm not about to wake her up and get clawed in the face _again_. I have _some_ sense."

No matter how much I tried to argue with myself, her touch didn't do anything but soothe me.

_"Why?"_

Why _DID_ I feel this emotion when we're next to each other or even when I'm just _thinking_ about her?

I began to close my eyes again, when I felt a sound; purring.

_"Stupid bitch."_

I felt my eyes narrowing as I glared down at her, but she looked serene in her sleep.

Her purring was vibrating my jaw and it felt like pure heaven.

_"I didn't know... I could ever feel like this."_

Complete, whole. That's what I felt.

_Tch, pussy cat… I hate her. But… this… this I can deal with." _

I thought in ecstasy as her calm nature lulled me into sleep.

* * *

Aww! The ending I liked it! Sorry for not updating in two days… I had _major_ writer's block, but I worked through it for all my fans out there (no matter how few :P) Yeah… I'm working on it. The two people introduced are actually going to be a quite… interesting… addition to Team Shikamaru. Rate/Review!

9/16/12: Yeah, this story is a lot better than I originally made it. Editing for the win. xD Rate/Review!


	14. Teammates

_Flashback:_

_I felt my eyes narrowing as I glared down at her, but she looked serene in her sleep._

_Her purring was vibrating my jaw and it felt like pure heaven._

_"I didn't know... I could ever feel like this."_

_Complete, whole._

_Tch, pussy cat… I hate her. But… this… this I can deal with." _

_I thought in ecstasy as her calm nature lulled me into sleep._

Chapter 14: Teammates

**Neko's POV**

The last thing I remember before falling asleep was my legs carrying me, almost unconsciously, over to a particular place.

My shin had started to ache after Naruto gave me that leaf to cover the gash.

I woke up to someone kicking my back.

"Neko! _Dammit_, wake up! We've got company!"

I heard the obnoxious voice of none other than Naruto Uzumaki yelling at me.

Shikamaru was already up, rubbing his eyes.

I blinked; the sun was high in the sky.

_"We must have slept in until at least noon…"_

A growl interrupted my thoughts as I moved for a moment. I backed away quickly, realizing that it was Kiba. I can tell you we were probably a little too close for comfort...

Akamaru was wagging his tail at Talon; they had been lying together.

_"How cute!"_ I thought, smiling at the adorable sight.

Suddenly, a hand firmly pushed me away, sending me rolling a few feet away.

"Why?"

Kiba's stern voice sounding irritated as he glowered into my eyes.

"W-why what?" I stammered, feeling completely puzzled.

_"What'd I do THIS time?!"_

He stared at me for a little longer as an emotion entered his eyes, then got up and walked toward Shikamaru as if nothing had happened.

I was confused; even on a good day, Kiba would have at _least_ given me an earful… then, I looked up and saw none other than Rock Lee; the most formidable Taijutsu fighter I had ever _met_, and Hinata Hyuga, a Byakugan user.

_"They must be the nin that Lady Tsunade sent us…"_ I concluded.

Naruto was running toward the spandex-clad ninja. "Bushy brows! How's it going?!"

Lee turned from talking to Shikamaru, and he blinded us all with his smile.

"It is going great! The village is so much different without you guys there! Training almost seemed worthless."

Hinata just blushed like normal when Naruto went up to the two of them.

Kiba just stood next to Shikamaru, staring into space.

_"There's something wrong with him… he didn't yell at me... he didn't hurt me... is something up?"_

As I walked up to join my teammates with both animals trailing me, Lee turned and saw me.

His large eyes widened even more, if that's possible, and he waved.

"Neko, it is amazing to be on the same team as you!"

I smiled; Lee was easily one of the nicest guys I had _ever_ met, and he trained hard to get to the level he was at now, which is why I look up to him.

Shikamaru smirked.

"Well… now that we know who we've got, Lady Tsunade told us that there is a secret place around the Sound Village that the scroll is hidden in. Since that isn't enough information, we're going to have to split up. Naruto, you and Hinata are going to do a clean sweep of the city. Use the Byakugan to locate anything that we can't see. If you find anything, meet all of us back here in an hour."

The two of them nodded and set off, with Naruto starting some story about ramen.

Shikamaru looked at me now.

"You, Kiba, and Lee are going to also do a clean sweep, except with your animals. They'll also work kind of like the Byakugan in this case. Meet back here in an hour. As for me… I'm hitting the books."

The three of us nodded to Shikamaru, and then I turned on her heel and began to leave with Talon.

_"Yay! Lee is the nicest guy I've EVER met. He'll balance it out; Kiba is… not so nice."_

I glanced to my right side to see Lee standing next to me.

He was staring at me.

"What's up?"

He looked away.

"Where shall we start? You are the co-captain, right?"

I nodded; of course. That meant that _I _would have to be giving the orders to this team right now.

"Uh… we should…"

I was at a loss; I'm not really _used_ to giving orders to a team; Shikamaru had normally done that _for_ me on this mission.

"We'll start on the East side of the village… Naruto and Hinata went to the West side." Kiba cut in before I could say anything.

I glared at him furiously; how _dare_ he?

Before I could say anything, he looked away, but I could barely see the smirk he had on his face.

Lee saluted him, "Yes, sir!"

He ran off into the village, making me glance at Kiba and shake my head in exasperation at Lee's tireless energy.

Kiba looked at me.

"I hope he hasn't forgotten that he needs Akamaru and Talon to search…"

Surprisingly, I couldn't keep a small laugh out of my voice as she replied:

"Yeah… if we don't hurry, he'll find it before we even _get_ there!"

I could hear him laugh for a moment as I started a fast pace.

I hurried ahead with Kiba running alongside me and Akamaru and Talon together between the two of us.

_"If only it could be like this all of the time. When he doesn't hate me… he's ok, for a dog."_

As soon as I thought this, I felt my cheeks heat up ten-fold and my hands flew up to them; I absolutely _hated_ it when people saw me blush.

If they couldn't see it, then it'd usually go away. However, if it was as deep as it was just then… Kiba would probably be able to see it.

As if just thinking about him got his attention, he looked over at me.

Thinking fast, I turned my head and Kiba asked me: "What's the matter, pussy cat?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, trying to cover up my face.

I felt my blush disappear after a moment, and as I looked to my left, Kiba had suddenly disappeared.

_"Where did he...?"_

I couldn't even comprehend what had just happened, but I suddenly felt a strong and firm arm around my waist and a hand cupped over my mouth.

"Hm?!" Was all I could manage to do before I was pulled to the ground.

An enthusiastic laugh was heard as I fell on top of a soft surface.

"Tch… pussy cat, you need to work on your skills. I can't believe you didn't see it coming."

I looked up to see Kiba smiling at me, which made my world stop.

_"The world must be ending... I guess he really IS in a good mood these days!"_

**Kiba's POV**

I don't know what the hell I was thinking, but I felt like messing with pussy cat.

Not the way I normally do, either. In a... friendly way... if you will.

When I tackled her and fell to the ground, my face erupted into a smile that I didn't think was possible.

_"Since when am I ever happy with pussy cat?"_

I asked myself, but I didn't even bother to answer as she tried lifting my hand off of her mouth.

When pussy cat finally managed, she gasped. "What the hell… what are you doing?! You scared me!"

Feeling a smirk crawl up my face, I shrugged.

"I'm slacking off, _and_ I wanted to know what was wrong, pussy cat."

_"Something went wrong for a moment, but... I don't really know what it was. She hid her face fast enough that I didn't see..."_

"There's _nothing_ wrong, Kiba!" Pussy cat sighed, seeming pretty exasperated.

Then, she started squirming in my arms, trying to get up, and I couldn't resist holding onto her waist got tighter.

"Let me up, dog!" She squealed.

Any other day, I would have been beyond pissed about the way she addressed me, but today I only laughed, hearing the teasing note in my voice:

"Are you _sure_ there's nothing wrong, pussy cat?"

She kept trying to pry my arm off of her as she gasped:

"Yes!"

I finally let her off of me and heard myself laugh again.

Then, I said the unthinkable, and I don't know if it just slipped out or what, but I said it:

"You know, pussy cat… you're not _so_ bad, for a cat."

**Neko's POV**

As I struggled to my knees, I couldn't do anything except stare at him; did Kiba really say that to me?

"_There is NO way he just said that to me. I'm dreaming. I hope I wake up soon."_

My mouth was agape as I struggled for words, but my brain was on autodrive as my feeble reply could be heard:

"You're not bad for a dog, either."

He smirked at me, making my cheeks flare, and he stood up and helped me up.

"You guys better get a move on, although I'm glad you two are _actually_ getting along, for a change."

Shikamaru just standing next to the place that we were at, next to Akamaru and Talon.

I felt a small blush ignite my cheeks, and I felt Kiba tense next to me.

_"Did Shika actually... hear all that?"_

Shikamaru smirked though.

"Huh. I guess you _both_ need to "work on your skills". Neither of you noticed I was behind you, or here the whole time, did you?"

We both shook our heads, and Shikamaru snorted.

"Heh. Let's just go." He started ahead, Akamaru and Talon waiting for us, then began walking with us following behind Shika.

Talon looked up at me with a knowing look in her eyes, which made me glare at her.

"Don't even say it," I hissed.

Talon just flicked her tail and walked ahead.

Akamaru was barking something at Kiba, and he was glaring down at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Akamaru began to follow Talon when she walked in front of the two of us.

**Kiba's POV**

"_I don't know what it is… but…pussy cat… seeing her happy... it makes me happy. Now I understand how Naruto feels. I don't know why I had the urge to tackle her, and I also don't know why… she makes me smile. She used to be the one thing that could bring me down, but now… it's different..."_

My thoughts were putting me through hell as I walked beside pussy cat, who looked as embarrassed as I was, but then, I smiled to myself suddenly.

_"Heh… I guess she's kinda cute when she's embarrassed." "Woah, wait… what?! Since when…?"_

My ears burned as I became thankful for my hoodie, but my cheeks must have compared to my triangles, because pussy cat turned to me and a smile lit up her face before she turned back around and kept walking.

The sight of her smile... I don't know... maybe being nice to her has got me tripped up or something.

_"I'll try to ignore it."_

As I fought with myself, the two of us walked behind Shikamaru, silently, before finally reaching the village.

Lee was waiting at the entrance, seeming to be bursting with extreme happiness and energy. More specifically… YOUTH!

He saw pussy cat and I and he ran up to her.

"Ok, captain! We shall-"

But he was cut off by a loud, obnoxious voice.

"SHIK! I THINK… I THINK…" Naruto was running up to us with Hinata close behind him.

"The hell is your problem, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, lazily.

Naruto stopped in front of him, Hinata right on his tail, and he said, through his endless panting.

"I… think we… know where it… is…"

Shikamaru's eyes opened wide as my mouth went agape.

"What the hell?! How'd you find it?!"

_"How did NARUTO...?"_

"What the hell?! How'd you find it?!" Naruto stopped panting and stood up straight.

"Well, Hinata and I were being normal people, you know, walking in the street, looking for a lead..."

"Well, no shit," I couldn't help but snort.

Naruto just glared at me and continued.

"We were minding our own business, and two people passed by us, talking about old places that disappeared over time. Hinata was interested, so we trailed behind these two people to see what exactly they were talking about. After about five minutes, we were about to take a different turn, but one of them said that there are ruins a couple miles away from this village to the north... they were known for possessing scrolls that were important, but no one ever found them. Apparently, there was this… clan… that was destroyed 10 years ago, and it used to hold a lot of scrolls there! Maybe it's _there_, Shik! Can we go check it out?!"

Shikamaru looked down, deep in thought, then shrugged.

"It's worth a shot. But if we can't find anything worth looking at, then we're back to square one."

Everyone nodded and Naruto pumped his fist enthusiastically.

"Hell yes! I'm a good addition to the team! Isn't that right, Neko?"

I only snorted, which made pussy cat laugh for some reason.

I glanced at her, but when she smiled at me I looked away.

_"That smile… it warms me… but why?"_

I was stuck with that question as Shikamaru said, turning around. "Let's go, team."

* * *

I had fun writing this one. Heh… Especially the part where Kiba tackles Neko… :) Uh, yeah. The next couple chapters are going to be INSANE. It's kind of like… plot twist. Kind of. It'll explain why Neko doesn't like to be alone. Rate/Review!

9/20/12: Yeah... Didn't change too much in this chapter... xD Rate/Review!


	15. The Past Is So Close, Yet So Far

_Flashback:_

_Shikamaru looked down, deep in thought, then shrugged._

_"It's worth a shot. But if we can't find anything worth looking at, then we're back to square one."_

_Everyone nodded and Naruto pumped his fist enthusiastically._

_"Hell yes! I'm a good addition to the team! Isn't that right, Neko?"_

_I only snorted, which made pussy cat laugh for some reason._

_I glanced at her, but when she smiled at me I looked away._

_"That smile… it warms me… but why?"_

_I was stuck with that question as Shikamaru said, turning around. "Let's go, team."_

Chapter 15: The Past Is So Close, Yet So Far

**Neko's POV**

Our team was running toward the ruins, like Shikamaru had ordered us to.

However, I was still confused as to why Kiba had tackled me.

_"Hm… that's ridiculously uncharacteristic of him. He HATES me… why would he tackle me? Much less, saying that I'm 'ok for a cat'! I'm starting to think he's… an imposter. But… he's not. What could have made him change?"_

I couldn't stop thinking about how Kiba had treated me, and I was still deep in thought when Shikamaru turned to me.

"Neko?" He asked, sharply, making me snap out of it.

"Huh?"

Shika was shaking his head exasperatedly.

"You need to pay attention… I need you to be up here with me. I have something to tell you."

I sighed as I sped up my pace and when I caught up to him, he whispered in a low voice:

"So… I heard you and Kiba are getting along a lot better."

"Yeah, no kidding. Don't ask _me_ why; I don't know."

To be completely honst, it kind of scared me how much he had changed, I guess.

Shikamaru only smirked.

"Hmm… so, what do you propose we do once we get there? You're my co-captain; that name shouldn't be taken lightly."

I just stared up at him; he can't be serious. He was asking _me_ to make decisions?

"Uh… I honestly, don't know. I don't know where we're going, so I suppose we're just going to have to-"

I cut myself off when she saw a fork in the road. One that was _too_ familiar for my liking.

I had stopped so unexpectedly that Naruto crashed into me. I heard him say that he was sorry, but I didn't tune in.

_"There's no way… it can't be… I promised I would never come back here…"_

All I could do was stare at Shikamaru as he asked why I stopped.

I felt my eyes kept getting wider and wider, and I felt tears coming on. My eyebrows had knitted together in a worried way, and that's when Shikamaru gave me a look that meant he understood.

My legs threw me across the clearing as I ran through the forest, taking the right fork in the road.

Shikamaru called my name, but I didn't care. I _had_ to see this for myself. I _had_ to know that I was _here._ As I ran faster, all of the scenes in my head played out;

* * *

_She was running; back to the village she called home; Hige, meaning 'Whisker', because it was where people from her clan had always lived. She could smell the smoke and the fear in the air._

* * *

"_This CAN'T be the place. It CAN'T be."_

Those were the only thoughts running through my mind as I raced down the familiar path. This path had changed my life. Changed it, and had led me to where I am now; happy, normal, and I had almost forgotten about this dark past. Now, it was being shoved right back into my face.

* * *

_She felt the wind in her face, as if someone was trying to push her back and tell her not to go back to the village; like they wanted to shield her eyes from what she knew was already happening._

* * *

I could hear Shikamaru calling my name, and my teammates trying to catch up with me. However, the last thing on my mind was them when my past, the thing that had kept me from doing so many things that she would have liked to do, was right in front of me.

* * *

_Neko had reached the gates of Hige. _

_All she could see was fire; it engulfed the houses, the gardens, the GATES, even. _

_She couldn't help but cry out; there was almost no one leaving the village. _

_In her quick scan of the people and cats that had been standing outside, she couldn't see her parents or their cats; Amayah, her mother's cat, and Miyu, her father's cat._

* * *

"_Don't think about it,"_ I pleaded with myself.

_"You don't even remember what they LOOK like. Why should you care?!"_

I could hear my twin blades, which I normally didn't even notice were there, clanging against the ground in my haste.

I heard them because they reminded me of a horrible sound; clanking in and of itself.

* * *

"_Mommy! Daddy! Where ARE you?!" _

_She shouted, trying to make herself heard above the crackling of the flames as she walked through the now-orange streets. _

_Suddenly, there was a loud, collective banging sound. _

_Neko looked around, horrified for a moment, then realized what it was; people. _

_People banging on their walls, pots and pans, hanging out of two story windows, because they couldn't get out of their houses without jumping and falling to their death.. _

_Her heartbeat began to race in fear; what if her parents were doing the same?_

* * *

"_It's not true. It's not the same place!"_

I screamed in my head.

No matter how hard I willed myself to think that it wasn't true, the more evidence against my case seemed to pop up; the flowers that grew on the side of the ditch were orchids.

_"If there is one thing I DO remember, they were mother's favorite flowers…"_

I felt tears pouring down my cheeks and my teammates hopelessly trying to catch up with me, but failing miserably.

* * *

_Neko hurried to her house, shaking in fear. _

_Without even thinking about it, she opened the door and ran in. _

_"Mommy?! Daddy?!" __But there was no sound at all. __Not even their cats were present. _

_The fire was raging upstairs, and Neko could feel the heat making her sweat bead across her forehead. _

_Without thinking of the consequences, she raced up the stairs and saw what she had feared the most; nothing. Nothing at all. _

_The place was COVERED in flames so bright orange, it might as well have been the sun._

* * *

"_Why'd it have to happen to me?!"_ I screamed in my head, but that's when I reached the gates to Hige.

I stopped, feeling the same cold dread that I had felt when I realized that my village was in trouble all of those years ago.

My breathing had picked up substantially, and my team arrived behind me.

We all stared up at the gates with wide eyes, until Naruto laughed and put his arms behind his head nonchalantly.

"Good job, Neko; you led us to the ruins!"

It took _all_ of my strength to resist hissing at Naruto in my nearly-blind rage.

_"It's not ruins. It's home."_

Even though I didn't have to look, Shikamaru was staring at me with his lazy eyes, but there was a mass of different emotions in them; sadness, regret, understanding, guilt… just about anything and everything.

Tears were now flowing freely down my cheeks, and I knew Shikamaru knew better than to wipe them; this was something I needed to get through without his help. I worked better that way. However, Naruto wasn't so wise.

"What's up, Neko?"

I stared at his face until it became blurry with more tears gathering in my eyes.

"Woah... Neko, what's up?"

Naruto kept talking to me, but I had no answer for him.

Beginning to shake, I felt my legs move instinctively toward where my house was.

Many of the houses were still standing.

_"Maybe mine is, too."_

My teammates were following me and they were a lot more quiet than they were earlier.

* * *

_Neko could feel heat all around her as she thought: "Am I trapped?!"_

_She tried to make more sound, but her voice couldn't manage it. It was as if it was caught in her throat and it couldn't escape._

_Suddenly, Neko heard an ominous crack, and she fell through the floor she had been standing on. _

_She screamed impulsively, as she hit the floor, landing on both feet. _

_Neko was fully prepared to go back up to the second floor, but now the stairs were submerged in flames. Numbly, she heard a small cry come from her lips in fear._

* * *

It was as if I had walked these streets all my life, even if it _was_ only for a short period of time.

The path to my home was blazed into my mind, and I didn't even have to _think_ to go the right way.

_"Maybe if it's still standing, I can find something that once belonged to me. Something I can hold onto. Hope."_ I thought, biting my tongue in anticipation.

But I passed the Inari clan leader's palace, or at least, where it used to be, where one red pillar was still standing. The only one that still needed to.

I stopped to take a deep breath and remember what had happened here.

* * *

_Neko couldn't take the heat or the smoke anymore. __If she stayed any longer, then she was going to die. _

_She already felt dizzy, and the flames had almost reached the door. _

_"I hope mommy and daddy are ok," she thought. _

_"Daddy could do it; he was strong and fast, and he'd save mommy in a heartbeat. Amayah and Miyu would have followed them out, no matter WHAT situation they would have been in." _

_Neko ran out of the door, which hadn't been touched by the flames just yet, and ran._

_"I better take a quick look around, just in case they're around here." _

_She looked up into the sky, to see the snow falling gracefully, as if nothing had ever happened in the world. _

_Running, she went by the Inari clan leader's palace was; it was falling into ashes before her eyes. _

_It had once stood proud and beautiful, and had watched over Hige, but… it was crumbling. _

_In her awe, Neko stumbled and had to catch herself by grabbing one of the red pillars that hadn't yet fallen. _

_As soon as she recovered, there was a man standing in front of her. _

_"Hello, mister, have you seen my parents?" Neko asked, feeling a bit hopeful. _

_The man just stared down at her and smirked, with his piercing green eyes, "No, little kitty, but they're probably dead."_

* * *

"_He was wrong,"_ I appealed to myself.

_"He had to be wrong. They're looking for me. They have to be."_

No matter what I said to myself, I still couldn't believe it. I _knew, _in my heart, they were gone.

* * *

_Neko had begun to cry at that moment. _

_"You liar! You're just trying to scare me!" _

_"No," the man replied calmly, just looking around. _

_"I was actually trying to wipe out your clan. If you were any older than you are right now, then I'd kill you. But seeing as you're rather young and helpless, I'd rather not waste my time. Run along." _

_Neko had no idea what this guy was talking about. _

_"He's gotta be crazy," she concluded. _

_"Mister, how did all these houses set on fire?" _

_He just looked down at her with a smirk on his smug face. "I did it. A couple paper bombs and having fire-style chakra helped a bit." _

_Neko couldn't believe what she had just heard. _

_"YOU did this?! Why?! What'd you do with my parents?!" _

_The man just looked at her coolly. _

_"I did this because your clan is a threat to the rest of the world and they need to be killed. Like I said, child, your parents are DEAD. You'll never see them again. Unlucky for me, though, most of your pitiful clan mates escaped without a scratch... I'd estimate around 75% of the people I intended to kill got out alive." _

_Hearing this information hit her with ridiculous force, Neko felt more tears running down her cheeks._

_"Mister…what's your name?" She wanted to know who he was so she could, maybe, ask him what happened to her parents if they ever met up again._

_He smirked as he began to walk past her. "Ryu_ _Kalist. I think there is a chance of us meeting again later, kitty."_

* * *

I turned a corner.

_"Sure as hell we did."_

Slowing as I neared my house, I felt my fists clench when I saw that it was nothing but ashes.

Tears exploded from my eyes without warning and I slowly sunk down to the ground.

I could hear the soft steps of my teammates beginning to approach me, but Shikamaru was the fastest as he knelt down next to me and held my shoulders in a comforting way.

Soon, I felt that I couldn't stop crying; it _hurt_ to see everything that I had maybe hoped for once we had reached the gates be crushed around me _again._

It was like losing everything I could have had all over again.

_"I can't do this..."_

I was holding my stomach in agony; I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened next.

* * *

_Said Ryu had turned around, and added to a stunned Neko. _

_"Oh… and I would make sure to get out of here. It's much too dangerous for a wimpy kid like you to be sitting around here, killing yourself for no reason when I purposely let you go." _

_Neko just glared at him, her eyes full of tears, and ran. _

_She ran to the gates, she ran away from all of the people calling her name. _

_She ran away from Hige, her home. _

_She ran past the cove where she used to play with her friends. _

_Past the river, where she would catch fish. _

_Away from her life. _

_As the snow fell even more beautifully, Neko realized that she was even more upset than she would have been if it was any other day; the age of six in the Inari clan was when you were supposed to get your very own cat companion. _

_She had just now qualified for this tradition, because it was her birthday._

* * *

I couldn't stop crying.

I wanted a do-over.

Life hadn't been fair.

What had I _ever_ done to make this happen to me?! I could have had a normal life, but instead, I was handed the rigged deck of cards, whereas everyone else got a fair hand.

* * *

_Every night, she would sit alone, in a tree, and cry. _

_Cry about how everything could have been so much different for her. _

_It wasn't fair. _

_She would try to travel a little bit each day, when one day, as she turned about seven years old, she had grown out of her torn and ripped clothes. _

_As well as stealing food, she also stole clothes as they were ripped or grown out of. S_

_ometimes, she would lose track of the days, and have to ask random strangers for the date. _

_Every night, she would go somewhere quiet and cry. _

_She was an outsider, and tried to avoid villages when she could. No matter what she did, she was always alone, and always would be._

* * *

I felt the tears exploding out of my eyes start to stop, and that's when I thought of what happened when she was around the age of ten.

* * *

_Neko was completely alone. _

_No one would ever love her again, and she would never love anyone again. _

_It was ties to people that got people hurt in this world, and she told herself she wasn't going to get hurt again. _

_B__ut one day, all of that changed. _

_She had been walking along a path, when a small, black kitten had stumbled across her. The kitten had green eyes, and it mewed up at her. _

_Learning how to speak cat was a skill that her mother had taught her before she was taught how to speak in general, and she realized that the kitten had said that it loved her. _

_Neko felt her eyes widen at these words; it had been at least four years since she had heard ANYONE say that. _

_Her eyes misted over, and she said to the little kitten: "I love you, too." _

_She played with the kitten for hours, but then realized that it was getting really late, and she sighed. _

_"I'm sorry… I can't keep you, you won't like living with me. I travel, and I don't think that's the life a kitten like you would want." _

_However, the kitten just blinked up at her and meowed: "I don't care. Neko, I love you!" and began to rub against her feet. _

_After that exchange, Neko cried for a very long time; she had found a friend at last. _

_Neko tried to pick her up as her crying ceased, and the surprised kitten clawed her. _

_With a startled, "Ouch!" Neko put the kitten down and stroked its head. _

_"Can I call you… Talon? It means claw, and you've got pretty sharp ones." _

_The kitten nodded. _

_"Yes… and let's get started! I want to travel like you, master!" _

_With that, Neko perched newly-named Talon on her shoulder, and began to walk the direction toward the moon and the brightest star in the sky._

* * *

Now, I was just sitting and cradling my legs with in my arms, and Shikamaru was patting my shoulder comfortingly, which had gotten me thinking;

* * *

_After five years of bonding and walking, Neko and Talon had probably successfully travelled damn near all the way around the continent. _

_T__he two had been on nearly countless adventures, including when she had found her signature twin blades in a place she never suspected; right next to her in her sleep. _

_Those two had become closer than anything else. _

_Suddenly, they approached a gigantic gate, where one person was outside of it. _

_He looked kind of relaxed, with his hair done up in a ponytail, and he was muttering to himself about something being 'a drag.' _

_Neko walked up to him cautiously, Talon at the ready as well. _

_"How is it going?" He just looked at her. "Who are you?" _

_"I'm Neko Inari, and this is my cat, Talon." _

_"I'm Shikamaru Nara. You don't look too well." _

_He was right; her clothes were ripped because she hadn't passed any houses she could steal from, her hair must have been a mess as well. _

_She just shrugged. _

_"This is normal life. I live on my own. I can see you're a ninja…" _

_Neko had heard a lot about ninjas as she and Talon travelled all over the place, and if she hadn't been avoiding towns, maybe she would have become one._

_Shikamaru smirked._

_"Yeah, I'm a ninja. It's a drag, but... some things you have to learn to deal with. Now, let's go to the Hokage's office. I'm sure she'd like to meet you."_

_And with that, an escort to the Hokage's office, an order to live under Shikamaru's roof, a shopping trip, a couple exams, and a few new acquaintances… ok, maybe A LOT, her life as a Leaf Village Ninja had begun._

* * *

Happy tears bred in my eyes as I hugged Shikamaru's neck as and I murmured in his ear.

"Thank you, big brother."

**Kiba's POV**

I was, no doubt about it, utterly confused.

_"What just happened? Why are we here? Why is pussy cat in tears?" _

All of these questions were bombarding me, and it was evident that my teammates were in the same dilemma as well.

Before anyone could ask anything about anything, we watched as pussy cat hugged Shikamaru and whispered something in his ear.

I glanced down and saw that Akamaru and Talon were sitting together, and just watching what was happening.

_"Stupid cat. Why would Akamaru bother with her?"_

I was trying to distract myself from the sight of pussy cat's eyes streaming with tears, but it wasn't working as I bit my lip in fear.

_"I fucking hate hearing her in pain."_

When I looked up, the two were standing up and Shikamaru was holding her hand.

To be completely truthful, I don't know where this stupid pang of some sort of pain came from, but it overwhelmed me as I watched pussy cat's face go from sad to thoughtful.

"Alright, team. Let's-"

But pussy cat had cut him off. "I _KNOW_ where the scroll is."

* * *

Ok… *sniff*… now that we know all about Neko's past, her actions and feelings are a bit more understandable. It got intense, too. And it only took me two hours to fit everything I could into these words for all of you… I _BETTER_ get some reviews, (not to beg or anything :P) because this chapter is probably among _THE_ most emotional things I've _EVER _written (FORGET CHAPTER 12. IT AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' ON THIS!) Ok… yeah. Rate/Review :'(

9/20/12: Most emotional? Forget it! I've got a couple more emotional pieces than this in my arsenal. xD Ok, Rate/Review!


	16. The Scroll

_Flashback:_

_"Stupid cat. Why would Akamaru bother with her?"_

_I was trying to distract myself from the sight of pussy cat's eyes streaming with tears, but it wasn't working as I bit my lip in fear._

_"I fucking hate hearing her in pain."_

_When I looked up, the two were standing up and Shikamaru was holding her hand._

_To be completely truthful, I don't know where this stupid pang of some sort of pain came from, but it overwhelmed me as I watched pussy cat's face go from sad to thoughtful._

_"Alright, team. Let's-"_

_But pussy cat had cut him off. "I KNOW where the scroll is."_

Chapter 16: The Scroll

**Neko's POV**

"There is _no_ way you know where it is, Neko,"

Naruto said, dumbfounded as he stared at me.

"I know where it is because it was _MY_ family's _JOB_ to know where things like these were!"

I hissed at Naruto, who was being overly ignorant right now. My temper was flaring at an all time high just thinking about how angry I was at Ryu. I wanted to kill him.

_"Naruto knows nothing about how much anger and... and hatred I'm feeling right now!"_

Naruto flinched a bit at my tone and nodded, whereas I just huffed.

"Let's hope it's here."

I started ahead, toward the North Wall, as we used to call it, not really giving a damn if my comrades were following.

Soon, I reached it and heard Shikamaru say: "Ok, Neko. Go ahead."

I didn't need his orders; I was already tracing the wall, trying to find the sign.

Suddenly, my hand traced over a familiar bump, and I thrust my hand onto it the way I was taught.

"_Release_."

The wall suddenly fell away, revealing a staircase leading under the ground.

"C'mon," I hissed, without bothering to look back at my teammates.

As the hallway went darker and darker, I heard Naruto mutter: "What's up her ass?"

Before I could turn around and kick Naruto's ass for even suggesting something like that, I could hear a sharp sound and Naruto whimpering.

"Ouch, Kiba…"

It had gotten dark enough that even I was having a hard time seeing through the darkness.

"I can't see, eh…" Lee muttered, seeming far away from my position at the front.

My temper flared up again as I hissed at him.

"_I_ can. Just follow my footsteps, and you won't get lost. There's light up here in a bit."

Shikamaru hadn't made a sound, so I assumed he was thinking of what we'd do after they got the scroll. Kiba had also been exceptionally quiet. Hinata had barely said a word as well, but I suppose that's kind of on the normal side.

The team of five and two animals plus myself made our way through the pitch black hall, until a light shone out of somewhere up ahead.

It seemed to be coming from a crack in the wall, and I remembered it as if I had seen it only yesterday. I remembered the day my parents had led me down here for the first time, showing me how to get to the scrolls and how to seal them away if something happened.

_"If only they were here… it's harder not knowing what happened to them. I would have rather seen them dead and known their fate… than be wondering what happened."_

Suddenly, before I could take another step, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Shikamaru was staring at me in the eyes and he whispered, low enough for only me to hear.

"I'm sorry, Neko."

I nodded back numbly; it was hard getting used to being in the same place that I had grown up.

I had thought it was the last time I'd ever be here… but I was back.

_"Even if I had NEVER returned, it'd be too soon."_

My team and I approached the scroll, whereas Naruto ran toward it.

"Alright!"

He reached out to touch it, but I kicked him away quickly.

"Don't. Touch. It."

My harsh voice escaped from my throat.

_"If he touched it..."_

I shuddered at the thought as I hovered my hand above the green scroll.

_"Release."_

I picked it up after I had released the seal on it, only to be asked a question by Lee, since, to the others, it had already appeared to be a safe scroll:

"What did you release?!"

Without thinking about it, I turned and glared.

"There was a secret seal that only someone from my family release. If _anyone_, even me, had touched it and it hadn't been released yet… then… death would ensue."

I watched as all of my teammates faces became terrified, and then I jerked my head.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

**Kiba's POV**

"_I wonder what the hell pussy cat's problem is. She's been crying since we GOT here, and now she's pissed beyond nearly anything I've seen from her before. Maybe she's pmsing…"_

I shuddered at the thought, and then looked at Naruto, Lee, and Hinata and whispered:

"Do you know what's up with her? She seems… different. So does Shik… but if he knows anything, he's not telling us…"

I was a little worried. I've never, not once seen pussy cat snap the way she just did.

_"I hope she's ok..."_

Hinata nodded.

"It _does_ seem that way…"

Lee just sighed.

"If only we could listen to their mental conversations…"

Naruto sighed as well.

"She seems to know this place… better than we do. She knew how to get here without a problem, not to mention all of the shit about her clan and everything… you don't think she _lived_ here, do you?!"

I face palmed, although it was nearly unnoticeable in the darkness.

"_No_, actually… she visits here on _vacation _every year. YES, she lived here. Dumbshit."

Naruto just glared at me.

"Sorry…"

Hinata sighed. "I-it seems like she wants someone to comfort her…"

Naruto nodded and I watched him flinch as he stared at pussy cat's back.

"Yeah. It hurts to see her like this."

_"Damn straight."_

I nodded as well, as we followed Shikamaru and pussy cat outside.

It was bright; brighter than it was earlier.

_"I want to ask Shik what's up… but… it's not the time. Even though I'm dying to know."_

I can't explain exactly why I wanted to know so desperately.

Shaking my head, I tried to get the thought out of my mind, and when I stopped, I noticed pussy cat had stopped dead in front of the entrance to the cave.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, obnoxiously as always.

My blood went cold as Shikamaru gasped.

"Neko…don't…"

The cat-like girl was already half-way across the vicinity of the village.

I got out of the hole enough to see what was up, but her sword was drawn, and she was charging straight for Ryu himself.

_"Oh. Shit."_

* * *

It's on… yeah. I'm kinda depressed right now, and it took me awhile to think how to go about writing this really, REALLY short chapter. They say no news is good news, but not having any new reviews is KILLING me… I kinda want to know what everyone thinks about how the storyline is forming and all, so I can try to make it better. So, it'd be nice if you left a little word for me… you know D: Rate/Review!

9/20/12: There's still not much that had to be changed if you ask me... Rate/Review!


	17. So We Meet Yet Again

_Flashback:_

_Shaking my head, I tried to get the thought out of my mind, and when I stopped, I noticed pussy cat had stopped dead in front of the entrance to the cave._

_"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, obnoxiously as always._

_My blood went cold as Shikamaru gasped._

_"Neko…don't…"_

_The cat-like girl was already half-way across the vicinity of the village._

_I got out of the hole enough to see what was up, but her sword was drawn, and she was charging straight for Ryu himself._

_"Oh. Shit."_

Chapter 17: So We Meet Yet Again

**Neko's POV**

The moment I laid eyes on Ry the man who had fucked my entire life up,I lost all control of my body as I grabbed my twin blades from their sheaths and dashed toward him.

_"__All he ever did was ruin my life. I could have been happy kid. I might never have been alone."_

I took a swing at him that he easily dodged and grabbed the blades, making me twist and fall to the ground awkwardly.

The fall didn't hurt me, but it made me burn with anger and embarrassment.

Ryu just laughed at the sight of me.

"I thought your life meant more to you than _that,_ kitty."

_Kitty. _That name was an insult in and of itself.

I felt tears beginning to collect in my eyes, and I managed to mutter: "Give those back."

Ryu, however, just laughed again, mockingly. "Why should I?"

_"What I would give to have the confidence to kick his ass..."_

Even though I didn't say anything, he continued to mock me.

"That's what I thought, kitty."

_"That's it."_

Without even thinking about it, I growled and jumped up from my spot on the ground and punched him in the face.

I had no idea of the strength I possessed when I did this; I had just broken his nose, and there was blood pouring out all over his shirt.

Through the pain, he dropped my twin blades and I picked them back up and put them back into their sheath.

"Why'd you do it?!"

My pained voice squirmed out of my mouth.

Ryu just stared at me.

"Kill everyone that I could? Because if _that's _what you're asking me, then I did it because your clan… they thought they were so high and mighty. Your clan thought they were so much better than everyone else. So cocky, so overconfident… so I decided I wanted to test them. See if they were as good as they say. But… they couldn't even save themselves from a little _fire_. How weak is _that_?"

_"How could he...? Then..."_

"Why'd you spare me, huh?" I wiped my eyes as I asked the question that I have been dying to know the answer to forever.

Ryu smirked at me.

"You were young. You couldn't have been as cocky as the rest of them. There was no sense in just _killing_ you."

I felt my teeth grinding together in suppressed rage.

"You should have just killed me. You have _no_ idea what I went through! It was my fucking _birthday_! How the _hell_ could you _do_ something like that?!"

It was as if I had struck a soft spot or something, because Ryu looked at me with almost regret in his eyes.

"I know it was your birthday."

I stopped breathing for a moment.

_"What?"_

Taken aback, I gasped:

"How?! You were too busy destroying everything I ever loved… and you don't even know me!"

Ryu frowned. "Actually… I'm your half-brother. Didn't mom ever tell you that?"

"_D-did I hear that right?! How the hell can the one person who killed my parents… almost everyone that I knew… half of the clan... the man who ruined my life… be related to me in any way?! How can he be my half-brother?!"_

I felt myself sink to my knees in shock.

_"No way in hell..."_

Ryu just stared at me like he knew a million things.

"It's a surprise, isn't it? The story is… our mother had a husband before your father. He was my father. She married outside of the clan, and that's why I don't share your name or any trace of your looks. He died in a battle that _your_ clan started when I was four years old. When she broke the news to me… I couldn't take it. I ran away, and I came back when I was fifteen. My life was bearable, but it could have been so much better. When I went looking for my mother, to apologize and to make everything better. Hoping to find everything the same as it was, I found her in the same house we both grew up in."

He stopped for a moment, seeming to take in the memory, and then he continued, wiping away some of the blood on his nose.

"I knocked on the door, and her new husband, your father, answered. I asked if I could see her, and he looked at me and said, "She just had our daughter early this morning, and she insisted on coming home. If you really want to see her, she's upstairs. Who are you, anyway?" Of course, I couldn't answer… he probably didn't know. So I just told him I was an old friend, and he let me upstairs. The moment I saw you… I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were the cutest little baby I had ever seen… but when I saw our mother… I knew nothing could ever be the same again."

I felt my breath catch in my throat a couple of times as I cut in.

"So… you remembered the date… even until now?"

Ryu nodded, his green eyes shining with memories.

"Of course. I couldn't forget that day anyway…"

He shook his head and continued once more.

"Obviously, our mother recognized me, and she told your father about everything. He seemed content with it, and when she asked if the two of us could have a moment alone, he said that was fine. He left, even if he was right outside the closed door, and she told me she thought I was dead. I couldn't do anything but hug our mother, and we had a small, heart-to-heart conversation, and I helped her name you. She was hell-bent on choosing the name Orchid for you, after…"

"Her favorite flower…" I cut in again, reciting the fact from memory.

Ryu nodded approvingly.

"Yes. After her favorite flower. But whenever she said it, your eyes would narrow, like they do when you get angry. It was quite comical, actually."

He stopped to smile for a moment, and then he frowned and flinched.

"I helped her pick out your name. Quite simple, it means cat, and it fit you, too, because when I said it, you smiled. But after that, I told your mother I was going to live there. I wanted to help her take care of you… because you were my half-sister. But… she told me… I couldn't. Plain and simple… I just couldn't. After that, I left, and out of rage, I planned my revenge. All I wanted… was every single person from your clan… dead."

I noticed how he took a shaky breath and soldiered on.

"I planned it all out… exactly what I was going to do… it had only taken six years to perfect where to put all of the paperbombs… and I did it. However, as soon as I carried out with my plan… I remembered that it was February 4th… your birthday. I couldn't stop the flames that were already engulfing half of the village, so I just sat back and watched it burn… hoping at least _you_ would get out alive. I walked around, waiting, hoping… when I saw you run into a pole. I couldn't help but laugh… and I told you I did it… I tried to get you to realize that you weren't at fault, it was your clan. But I couldn't admit my feelings about how much I wanted to be in your life… you didn't even know who I _was_. Our mother wouldn't even let me _near _you, and… I tried to dissolve those feelings. That connection that we had… I didn't want it to go to my head. That's why I tried to kill you when I saw you as I worked for that rigged hotel. I didn't know it was you until I saw you walking up to the desk. But… when… on that day… your birthday… I _couldn't_ kill you. I didn't choose not to. I _couldn't _do it."

I watched as the one man I hated the most, my half-brother, start breaking down into tears.

Never had I _ever_ seen _anyone_ cry as he did just then.

This man had suffered the same past I had, but even worse, with all of the guilt and betrayal he must have felt.

Even if he _did_ try to kill everyone I knew and loved, and may have possibly succeeded… he was myhalf-brother.

The stories I had heard about a certain Uchiha... the way he wanted revenge on his brother... I was nothing like him; revenge isn't everything. If anything, it's a double edged sword.

I dropped my twin blades, ran up to Ryu, and hugged him.

"I can't forgive you for what you did… but I can at least put you to peace and say that I'm not going to hold it over your head anymore. I just have… one question… do you know where mom and dad are?"

Ryu still looked stunned by how I had hugged him… but he managed to mutter:

"No… I tried looking for them… that's why I was still in the village when it was burning. I went back to our house… but it was already burned to the ground. I'm sorry."

I only looked up at him and nodded; it was nice to finally get some knowledge. I had assumed my parents were dead anyway, but now they were pretty much confirmed dead.

"If that's all you needed… you can go now. My team and I," I glanced over where Hinata, Lee, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba were standing, with Akamaru and Talon in the front.

"Have to get back to Konoha to finish a mission…"

He just stared at me, then sighed.

"What I originally came here for was to fight you… but… you've made me realize what I did was wrong. I'm sorry, Neko."

He smiled, hugged me tightly, and then disappeared in a flash as he took off running, leaving a trail of blood.

I tried to comprehend what had just happened, but I couldn't. My mind was frozen and it hurt to think.

That's when I turned back to my team, and noticed everyone was just staring at me.

"C'mon… let's go, guys."

**Kiba's POV**

As I watched the fight between pussy cat and that prick ensue, I growled to Naruto, who looked as pissed off as I felt:

"Who the hell does this guy think he is? All he's ever done is fuck everything up. I don't know much about her past… but he did _something_."

Naruto just nodded, and growled back to me: "No kidding."

It was as if everything was said in a flash… Ryu being her half-brother… why he did everything he did…

I watched as everything seemed to connect in her eyes.

_"I hate seeing her when she's like this… it hurts."_

When Ryu disappeared behind some rubble, I detected no feeling in pussy cat's eyes; it was as if she didn't know exactly what she was supposed to be feeling.

After a moment, she led all of us out of the village silently.

I noticed Shikamaru come up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

She turned and just nodded, as if they were speaking telepathically.

The whole team reached the gates, and Shikamaru turned to address us.

"Ok… since it took us awhile to get here… we're going to camp out outside here tonight. Let's go… uh, Naruto and Hinata, you take the water, Lee can get the firewood, and we'll be staying over there."

He pointed toward an empty space full of trees.

"Kiba… Neko… you two come with me."

Everyone nodded, and went off doing their thing, whereas I walked next to pussy cat, who was staring into space.

Shikamaru suddenly smiled at her.

"So… you have the scroll. Our mission is finally complete."

She looked at the scroll in her hand, as if she forgot that she had had it the entire time, and just nodded silently.

Pussy cat was biting her lip nervously, and clenching fists every free moment she got as we kept walking.

The very sight of her in this much pain... I could see it in her eyes... it upset me.

"_I can't do this… I hate seeing her like this."_

Without thinking about it, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently as if to tell her 'it's ok'.

She looked up at me without any particular emotion and squeezed my hand back.

It seemed like she had calmed down a little, and she leaned into me ever so slightly, as if I was the only thing keeping her on her feet, as we followed Shik.

Akamaru, behind us and walking with Talon, barked.

_"Why do you care about her all of a sudden?"_

All I could do was glare as the three of us continued to the empty clearing.

_"I wish I could answer that question."_

* * *

Woah… plot twist, huh? :) Yeah, originally I planned on giving them an epic battle and everything, but I decided against it… heh… well… the NEXT chapter is going to possibly, in my opinion, the most romantic one yet. :) Rate/Review!

9/21/12: Didn't change much in this chap. either... but next chapter is going to be a COMPLETE REVAMP! Be prepared. Not kidding here. AND. Tomorrow is official Shika-Shake day! Shikamaru's birthday... how troublesome. xD Rate/Review!


	18. Trust Me

_Flashback:_

_Pussy cat was biting her lip nervously, and clenching fists every free moment she got as we kept walking._

_The very sight of her in this much pain... I could see it in her eyes... it upset me._

_"I can't do this… I hate seeing her like this."_

_Without thinking about it, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently as if to tell her 'it's ok'._

_She looked up at me without any particular emotion and squeezed my hand back._

_It seemed like she had calmed down a little, and she leaned into me ever so slightly, as if I was the only thing keeping her on her feet, as we followed Shik._

_Akamaru, behind us and walking with Talon, barked._

_"Why do you care about her all of a sudden?"_

_All I could do was glare as the three of us continued to the empty clearing._

_"I wish I could answer that question."_

Chapter 18: Trust Me

**Neko's POV**

As Shika, Kiba and I walked to the clearing, we found that it was the perfect space to sleep.

_"Not only is it just plain perfect, but it's so close to my home..."_

I looked down at my hand, which was being held by Kiba. I've gotta admit, I didn't see it coming.

_"I thought he was going to be a total ass like always and try to make me angry on purpose, like we used to."_

But… for him to try to _comfort _me like he was now… it was different, and nonetheless, it worked.

Shikamaru surveyed the area, sighed, then turned to Kiba and I.

"Ok… well, it's better than nothing."

I looked down at the scroll in my right hand once more, then held it out to him.

"You better keep this. You're better at stuff like that."

He only raised an eyebrow at me, then took it from my hands.

"I suppose. You _did_ lose one of my Shogi pieces when I told you to hold it for a moment…"

I just glared at him; he wouldn't stop holding that over my head if it killed him.

"Yeah… since none of us have any supplies such as… oh… food, tents, or clothing, looks like Lee is going to have to get it. He was one of the only people we have here that didn't go into the village with us… and he's the fastest of us all… speaking of him, here he comes with the firewood…"

Indeed, Lee was rushing toward the three of us with a pile of firewood in his hands.

"I got the firewood you asked for!"'

Shikamaru did a small half-laugh.

"I like your enthusiasm. Alright, since Kiba, Neko, Naruto and I can't go back into the village without getting _arrested_, and you're the fastest person I know, can you go and buy some blankets and food for us?"

Lee saluted him obediantly.

"Yes, sir!"

Shikamaru held out some Ryo, and Lee shook his head.

"I have some of my own."

With that, he sped off, without even thinking about taking the Ryo provided by Shikamaru.

"That kid…"

I watched everyone work together happily, and I couldn't help but bite my lip softly.

_"I wish we were all home. If I hadn't gone on this stupid mission, then I wouldn't have to deal with everything that has happened…"_

Though, I glanced at Kiba, who was still holding my hand in his.

_"But… I think I can deal with this. We're starting to get along better. I don't mind it."_

As if he could hear my thoughts, Kiba glanced down at me and I couldn't help but notice his eyebrows go up, as if he was asking a question, then he looked away and gripped my hand tighter.

The entire exchange made my heart flutter, and I knew exactly why.

_"How stupid can I get? He's nice to me for ONCE and... and I'm starting to... feel this way? Damn, I hate feelings."_

I glanced down at Talon and Akamaru, who were walking together side-by-side.

_"They've been socializing a lot… I wonder what they talk about."_

I was in thought until Kiba suddenly shook me.

"I asked you a _question_, pussy cat."

"Oh… sorry, I was thinking. Ask me again."

Kiba was looking at me like he had better things to do, which was almost normal.

"I asked you… what are you thinking about?"

Surprised, I took in his now-earnest expression. It was as if he _cared_ what I felt at the moment.

"Nothing, Kiba. Just that… I dunno; everything just feels… cleared up, now."

_"Why would he give a damn about my feelings? He never has and he never will."_

He just stared at me for a moment, as if he was taking in what I had said, and then he snorted.

"That's great, pussy cat."

I felt the familiar rage bubble up inside of me.

_"I hate_ _when he acts like nothing matters but himself! He can be such a jerk!" _

I threw his hand, smirking when I visibly noticed he was thrown for a loop, and slapped him on the cheek as forcefully as I could without actually hurting him. Then, I walked away, feeling satisfied.

_"Huh! He should know better than to screw with me. Especially now."_

**Kiba's POV**

_"Why does she always hit me?"_

I rubbed my cheek for a moment, staring after her as she walked up to Shik and started having some sort of normal conversation

_"And, to think, I actually TRIED to be nice to her this time around. I tried comforting her... but... she hits me anyway. Damn, she's annoying as hell."_

Though, I couldn't stop myself from staring at her back as her hair bounced in place as she walked toward the edge of the clearing and picked something up.

"Heh."

I heard the whispered chuckle escape from my mouth as I turned away from her and began walking the opposite direction.

_"Why... why AM I having these stupid thoughts about her anyway? No, there's no way I actually LIKE her, right? Right?"_

My brain seemed unwilling to answer as I turned my head to see pussy cat bending over to pet my dog.

"Akamaru better not be betraying me..."

Growling, I made my way over to them, but she turned her back to me and her stupid ass cat meowed up at me.

Akamaru was wagging his tail as he barked: _"Talon wants you to pick her up."_

I felt my face get sharp with an anrgy frown.

"I'm not _touching_ that devil cat of hers."

_"Maybe it'll get Neko to accept YOU as a person."_

The thought made me wonder for a moment as I contemplated the pros and cons, then I shrugged.

"Fine."

_"It's not like she'll see... she's walking away."_

Pussy cat's retreating back got further away from me and her cat, so I picked the damn thing up to get it to shut up.

_"I hate cats."_

**Neko's POV**

Out of the blue, I heard Talon calling for me, so I turned to look and... what I saw was the most unlikely sight _ever_… Kiba was holding her and_ petting_ her, nonetheless!

I felt my mouth go agape and raised my eyebrows to him expectantly.

_"I can't wait to see what he comes up with for this one..."_

"It's not what it looks like, pussy cat… Akamaru told me to, and…"

I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up, Kiba. I _knew_ you liked cats."

This seemed to spark rage from him as he growled at me.

"I do _not_ like cats."

"Then why are you petting Talon?"

"Because Akamaru told me to."

"Why'd he tell you to?"

"Because he said I need to start liking cats."

"Why is that?"

"Because I-" Kiba stopped there, suddenly, his eyes wider than normal now.

"Because you _what_, Kiba?!"

I was literally jumping around, anxious to hear what he was about to say next, but he just shrugged.

"Because… he wants me to be nicer to you."

I only snorted, exasperated.

"As if you _would_ be nicer anyway. Why would you need to be?"

Kiba just put Talon down, who started to circle around his legs.

"I could _try_ to be nicer. And… I dunno. I guess Akamaru wants to see some change in me for _some reason…"_

He growled the last part, glaring down at the little dog, who was looking triumphant as he met his master's angry gaze.

Before I could ask what the reason was, Naruto and Hinata were returning to the camp, Naruto's loud and almost-annoying voice echoing through the forest:

"…and the ramen spilled _all over_ my jumpsuit! It was _so_ messy, even _I_ couldn't believe it!"

Hinata giggled and was blushing like normal.

"Why can't _we_ get along like them?"

I asked myself aloud.

Kiba's gaze, which had been locked on the two coming along with the water, shot to me instantly.

"I dunno."

I looked up at him with narrowed eyes, feeling pissy all of a sudden.

"Maybe it's because you're never nice to me?"

Kiba's stare became almost hurt as he shook his head.

"I am _too_ nice to you."

"Since when?"

I challenged, smirking.

_"He's never nice to me and he knows it. I'd like to see him be nice to me for ONE day. THEN, we'll talk."_

He just smirked back, closing his eyes cockily.

"Since now." And, with that, he walked off into the trees without saying another word. Hands in his pockets, looking cool as a cucumber.

My eyebrows were twitching.

_"What the hell?"_

He didn't even _do_ anything… he just walked away, into the forest.

Talon padded over to me and meowed, telling me that she and Akamaru had planned to make Kiba hold her.

_"Slick..."_

"Damn, cat. I didn't think you had _those _kinds of tricks in you…" I was laughing. I didn't know why, after everything that had happened... happened... but I was laughing.

Talon just flicked her tail and motioned toward where Kiba had disappeared, signalling that something was coming.

"There's nothing _there_, Talon." The cat just narrowed her eyes and walked toward the forest.

**Kiba's POV**

I walked, calmly, through the forest, scanning the grassy floor.

"I'll show that bitch I can be nice... right, Akamaru?!"

_"You're taking this too seriously. Besides, you just contradicted yourself."_ The small white dog barked up at me.

The contradiction part... was nonetheless true, but I was _not_ going to let him get the best of me.

"I am not! You'd be pissed too if the same happened with that damn cat."

For once, he didn't answer me as we kept walking.

That's when I spotted it:

A pink flower.

A smirk lit up my face as I grabbed it and smelled it.

The smell was indescribable; beautiful. It reminded me of Konoha...

_"You're not serious, are you?"_

Akamaru's bark reached me in my ecstacy.

He was rolling on the ground, barking happily.

_"You really ARE taking this seriously! I can't wait to see you get rejected!"_

My face felt like it was on fire as I crushed the flower with my hands unintentionally.

"Shut up, will you?!"

But that must have been the last thing on his mind.

_"I'm so telling Talon about this!"_

I stopped breathing.

"Don't."

Akamaru was already on the trail back to where we came from, barking profusely.

**Neko's POV**

Suddenly, Kiba came crashing back through the bushes, panting pretty hard.

Akamaru was barking uncontrollably in a fashion that seemed much like laughing, and Kiba glared at the small dog at his feet.

_"The hell is his problem?"_

No matter how much Kiba was irritating me... he was making coping with what had happened less than an hour ago a lot more bearable.

"Why'd you run off like that?"

"Run? Who was running?" He panted.

"_You_, you stupid dog…"

"_I'm_ not stupid! _You're_ stupid! I mean, damn, if _I'm_ stupid I'd like to see how mentally incapacitated _you_ are. You cats are so-"

"I thought you were trying to be _nice._" I hissed at him, trying to hide the rage I was feeling.

_"I'm not going to let him get the best of me today."_

This statement stopped Kiba from replying.

He stared at me for a long moment until he nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You're not stupid… and, um..." Kiba was scratching his cheek nervously, and I egged him on.

"And?"

He looked away.

"...And... you're actually really smart."

A small blush crept into my cheeks suddenly.

_"What is THIS feeling?!"_

The compliment seemed to almost lift me off the ground at how uncharacteristic this was of him.

"Thanks."

That was about all I could manage between my heart stopping and the heat in my cheeks nearly suffocating me.

Kiba smiled a sharp, toothy smile aimed directly at me.

"You're welcome. Now… let's go see what Shik wants us to do, since we've been doing pretty much nothing."

I nodded, and the two of us walked up to Shikamaru, who was staring into space.

"This is going to be such a drag…" He was muttering to himself like normal.

"Shik! Neko and I need something to do!"

Kiba caught his attention with his rather loud voice.

Shikamaru huffed.

"When Lee gets back, you two get to set up all the tents."

"Alright, thanks."

**Kiba's POV**

We walked away from Shikamaru and sat down in the middle of the clearing, whereas Hinata and Naruto were off to the side a bit.

Pussy cat glanced over toward them; they were in a deep discussion, and when she looked back at me, I happened to be studying her face.

_"What is it with always trying to look at her face?"_

"What's up?"

She asked me, seemingly trying to start a casual conversation.

My eyes met hers, and I felt something that seemed like a jolt of electricity go through my viens.

"Nothing really… just sitting here, trying to be nice to you for a change. How about you?"

"Oh… you know. Just wondering…"

Pussy cat was playing with her shiny hair, and I resisted reaching out to feel just how soft it may be.

"Wondering what?" I pressed, distracting myself.

She smirked and let her locks cascade down her shoulder.

"Nothing, just… what Akamaru and Talon talk about when we're not around."

Both of us looked down at our animals, who were looking at each other like they knew something.

_"Akamaru can't... KNOW... can he? Are these stupid feeling changes THAT obvious? Did he tell that damn devil cat anything?"_

My sudden panic attack was fleeting, though, when he wagged his tail at me reassuringly.

**Neko's POV**

Akamaru looked up at Kiba and whimpered now, making his face soften automatically.

"It's alright, boy."

Even though I was confused, the way he talked so softly and gently to his dog made me... blush, I guess.

"What'd he say?" I covered myself.

Kiba looked up at me now, his eyes shining.

"He's worried that we won't make it to the village with the scroll. But it's fine; we will. With this team… there's no such thing as failure."

He had started to pet Akamaru, making the dog roll on his back and expose his soft-looking stomach.

"Aww… when you're with everyone else, you're mean… but with Akamaru, you're soft and nice… it's cute."

_"Woah, wait... did I say that out loud?!"_

I felt my heart stop as I thought about how he'd tease me about what I just said.

However, he glowered at me with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Shut up, pussy cat."

_"Why do his emotions change so fast?"_

I frowned now, feeling my hand crawl up to my hair and start curling a lock or two with my finger.

"That's not nice…"

**Kiba's POV**

_"Why is it so hard to be nice to you?!"_

I was pissed now. I couldn't stop being mean to her... no matter how hard I tried.

"I knew you couldn't be nice to me. You're just too mean."

Pussy cat was taunting me, her eyes sharpening in a teasing way.

_"Tch. This is exactly why I hate losing to her."_

The way her eyes looked... how she taunted me without even saying anything.

"I am _not _too mean. I _can_ be nice to you… it's just second nature to be mean to you."

She huffed and looked away.

"Right."

Biting my lip, I focused on not lunging at her and strangling her.

Thankfully, a voice in the distance could be heard.

"I GOT THE SUPPLIES, SHIKAMARU!"

Naruto sighed loud enough for me to hear.

"'Bout time…"

Shikamaru, who in the meantime had gotten the fire started, didn't look up.

"Nice one, Lee. Did anyone suspect anything?"

"No, sir!"

"Alright, Lee. Nice work." Shikamaru looked up, briefly, and his eyes wandered back to the fire.

Lee had dropped all of the stuff, which meant that pussy cat and I could get started on the tents.

I started to walk toward the tents, but she pushed me out of the way and smiled at me.

_"Tch."_

Resisting my normal anger, I picked up a tent after she did and we got to work.

To be honest, it was like the stupid cat couldn't put two and two together. Every second she'd drop something.

_"Dumb cat."_

I laughed to myself as the entire thing collapsed on her and she let out a small shriek.

"Pussy cat, you're such an idiot."

I didn't say this like I normally did, either... I said it... like I was joking with her.

_"But I'm not joking... she's an idiot."_

When she couldn't get out after five minutes, I finally pulled the tent off of her head and set it up as if I had known how to all my life.

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't believe how much of an idiot I had made myself look like.

_"Wow..."_

Though, when I finally got up and dusted myself off, Kiba looked at me.

"I'll show you how to do it, if you want me to."

My heart stopped and swam up to my throat.

_"Stop feeling this way..."_ I willed it, but it only swam up until it was practically in my mouth.

"Um... ok..."

As he started rambling about how to set up a tent and demonstrating to me exactly what to do, I found myself lost in my thoughts.

Kiba, finally, had seemed to accept me as a person, and I realized that that very thought had made me nearly forget about Ryu for the moment.

_"Mission complete."_

The two worked together, not insulting each other like normal, to put up the tents.

I sighed aloud, but Kiba snapped me back into reality.

"Did'ya get all of that?"

My eyes widened.

_"I haven't listened to a single thing that he's said..."_

Smiling sheepishly, I shook my head.

He sighed heavily, but he smiled.

"Tell you what... why don't you _help_ me?"

_Pang._

It was as if I automatically felt light-headed as I wobbled a little on my feet.

"Um... ok..."

Again, Kiba smiled at me.

"Ok, then. Just hand me things when I tell you to. Should be easy enough."

I stared at his calm and understanding face.

_"What does he know about how I'm feeling right now?"_

Kiba walked slowly away to grab another tent, the third out of all six that we had to do.

"Let's get started then, pussy cat."

**Thirty Minutes Later**

All of that lifting and walking around...

_"How does he do it while staying on both feet?!"_

Ok, so most people would say it's not THAT much lifting, right? Well, um... I was just exhausted.

Sitting down slowly, I laid down on my back and closed my eyes for a full three seconds and opened them again.

Kiba glanced down at me as he put the last part into place on the final tent.

"You look as if you're about to pass out, pussy cat. You're weaker than I thought."

His smirk got to me as I tried to sit up.

_"What an ass!"_

As soon as I got into a sitting position, though, everything went black for a moment.

_"I sat up too fast..."_

Kiba was staring at me.

"I hate it when that happens."

_"Wait... did he just... read my mind?!"_

My mouth was agape as I stared at him.

"...What do you want?"

His eyes now turned sharp and almost distrusting, but I shook my head.

"N-nevermind..."

I got up slowly and walked over to the fire that Shikamaru had started, where he was handing out some of the food that Lee had gotten.

Kiba had followed me and sat down next to me silently, as Shikamaru asked us both whether we wanted something to eat.

I shook my head slowly.

Once I answered, Shikamaru sighed; he knew exactly why I wasn't going to eat anything.

When I got upset, or when something extremely important happened pertaining to me, I didn't eat. It's not that I didn't want to, it's that I couldn't. I can't explain it, but it's a little painful to do so.

While all of them were eating, I noticed that Talon and Akamaru were sleeping in between two tents that were clear off to the side.

Without even really thinking about it, I nudged Kiba and whispered in his ear:

"I guess we know where _we're_ sleeping tonight."

He followed my gaze and smirked.

"Mhm."

Suddenly, Lee looked up and started to speak to me.

"I wanted to ask you this earlier because I was curious… but it was not the right time. I am asking you now: will you tell us about your past?"

The question had completely thrown me off guard. The sudden feeling of hatred coursed through my body as it had when I first saw Ryu standing right in front of me after we had taken the scroll.

I bit my lip to stop myself from doing something rash.

Taking a moment to recollect myself, I glanced at Shikamaru.

"Why don't… why don't you tell it, Shika? You know it all."

He gave me a surprised look, but he nodded.

I stood up.

"I'm taking a walk. I'll be back later. Don't come looking for me."

With that, I made sure to get out of there without making too much of a haste.

_"I don't want to hear my story all over again. I just want to go back and forget everything that has happened... but... I want to go one more place before I leave."_

As I walked fast down the familiar roads, now with weeds and grass nearly covering the rocks and landmarks that I remembered, I felt a sudden uncontrollable rage engulf me.

_"I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want all of this to go away… for it to leave me alone. Maybe someone could make me forget everything that had happened until I went to Konoha…"_

As soon as I thought that last line... I wondered who that someone could possibly be.

Soon finding the path I was looking for amidst the long, uncut grass, I ran along it and found what I was looking for: the small body of water we, my friends and I, used to call the Clear Pond, named so because of the unnaturally clear water that was in it.

It was a beautiful sight to see... even more so because of the way the moon was shining. It was one of those nights where the moon was bright enough, it could practically be passed off as the sun.

Sitting down, I felt my hand wipe my face and a small, crying sound escape from my lips until a hand touched my back and I looked up.

**Kiba's POV**

The entire story, the way Shik had told it, had taken only in excess of maybe ten minutes, but it was just about enough for me.

Everyone here must have been shocked... but I had to have been one of the worst.

Suddenly, I felt absolutely terrible.

_"I didn't know pussy cat had to go through all of that… if I did… maybe I would have at least TRIED to treat her better from the beginning…" _

I can't explain it, but I felt her pain. I felt the terrible heart-stopping pain that she must have felt every day she woke up.

_"What person can withstand this kind of pain?"_

Naruto was almost shaking when I glanced to my side.

"Man… I wish you would have told us sooner, Shik. I wish I knew… I could have helped her..."

Hinata was looking down at the ground, a somber expression on her face, and Lee was crying; his tears streaming down his face.

"Her youth… was selfishly taken away from her."

Shikamaru looked depressed just from retelling the story that he already knew, and he suddenly laughed.

"It's alright now, though. If you tell her you're sorry about it, she'll most likely say that if all of it hadn't happened, then she never would have met any of us."

I almost didn't hear what he said, though… how could _anyone_ do that... especially to someone like pussy cat? What'd she do to deserve treatment like that?

_"No matter how much I hate pussy cat… no matter how angry I get at her… I would never, EVER wish for something like that to happen to her. Never…"_

Hinata spoke up suddenly, adding on to what Shik had said.

"Yes… and, Neko seems as if everything makes sense now, so when we get back to the village, she'll be even happier than before!"

Lee pumped his fist as well.

"Yes! And she will help me train… we will both run 15 laps around Konoha, and then spar. Once we spar, we shall spar again…"

"Bushy Brow!" Naruto snorted. "She will _never_ help you train! You'll _kill_ her!"

Lee bowed his head. "Then I will not require her to run as many laps as I will! Gai-sensei will be so proud… I am helping her to regain her youth!"

His eyes were on fire, and I couldn't help but admit that it was funny, but after our little chat, Shikamaru sighed.

"Everyone… it's time that we rest up. We have a _long_ way to go tomorrow to get back to Konoha."

Following orders, Hinata and Lee walked away into some of the tents.

I stood outside, watching Naruto crack his knuckles and stare at Shik.

"I'm gonna go find Neko and see if I can help her!"

With that, he was gone.

_"Typical Naruto..."_

Shik was staring at me, though.

"...Naruto is just plain obsessed with making her happy, isn't he?"

I nodded.

"No kidding. It's kinda annoying, actually."

While I said this, I watched Talon and Akamaru walk into the same tent; the one that was in the furthest corner.

Shik had nodded back to me.

"Well, if that's the case, then goodnight."

He dosed the flames with some extra water and made his way to his own tent.

"Oh,"

Before I could make a move, he turned to me.

"And... say hi to Neko for me when you talk to her, okay?"

My blood boiled when I noticed the sly smirk he was giving me.

_"Damn. That asshole doesn't have to be a jerk because he knows that I'm just going to check to see if she's... well... you know... ok, I guess."_

Even though Naruto had beaten me to it, I still wanted to see for myself.

_"Tch, Naruto."_

I walked through the thick underbrush, and picked up both Naruto and pussy cat's scents.

_"How did he know exactly where she went?"_

Though, when I looked down I noticed that there were some footprints imprinted on the soft ground.

"No wonder. I knew Naruto wasn't _that_ smart." I muttered out loud.

As I continued on, I heard some things come out of my mouth that I didn't even know I could say.

"...I guess I'm worried about pussy cat."

The scents of both Naruto and pussy cat grew stronger, so I knew I was getting closer.

_"I'm glad as hell that Akamaru isn't here. I can only imagine what kind of things he'd say."_

Shivering, I thought about all of the sneers he'd throw at me.

That's when I stopped to see Naruto and pussy cat stand up suddenly.

He was hugging her tightly.

My throat tightened up a little, though I tried to tell myself that I didn't know why... but the answer was right in plain sight:

_I_ wanted to be the one to stop her from feeling this pain. Not Naruto.

To be honest, I was _this_ close to walking over there and making myself seen, but I stood by and watched all of this play out.

**Neko's POV**

I turned around to see that it was Naruto who had been behind me.

"Hey... Neko."

His voice was in a different tone.

_"It's as if... he doesn't know what to say."_

I knew Naruto felt sorry for me. Shika had a way of telling stories that made you feel like you should be extremely emotional about it, and I had no idea how he did it.

My voice was still a little choked up from the crying I had been doing.

"H-hi."

Naruto's blue eyes shone in the moonlight as he sat down beside me.

"So, um... I'm sorry... about what happened to you, you know..."

"No, it's ok."

I was trying to down-play it so it seemed like it wasn't a huge deal.

_"The less Naruto knows about how I feel... the better. I don't want to go all emotional on him."_

I wiped my eyes without even thinking about it, and he nodded up toward the moon.

"It's really bright tonight, isn't it?"

Barely, I managaed to nod.

"Yeah... it is."

We, silently, stared up at the moon.

"You know... you've got me to talk to any time you want, okay?"

Naruto had scooted closer to me, and I felt my heart drop down to my stomach.

_"I can't let him make a move on me..."_

Scooting further away from him, I sighed.

"Okay... um... I guess I'll follow you back to the camp or whatever when I'm ready."

Taking the hint, he nodded to me.

"Yeah. I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

Without warning, he took my hand and lifted me to my feet, pulling me into an embrace.

"You're not alone, Neko. It'll be ok. I promise."

With that, he walked away into the trees until I couldn't see his orange jumpsuit anymore, even if it was really bright out tonight.

**Kiba's POV**

Even if I had come at... maybe the tail-end of their meeting... I felt terrible.

Anger was building up inside of me.

_"That could have been me. Helping to comfort her. Promising that it's gonna be ok. Holding her..." _I couldn't help but notice that I whispered the last part out loud, though.

If only I had walked away first.

Naruto had left, practically walking right past me without seeing me.

_"Idiot."_

Sighing, I turned around; Naruto had pretty much told pussy cat everything I wanted to say.

But... my legs couldn't find it in themselves to walk away.

_"Why can't I just... leave?"_

I turned to face where pussy cat was now sitting down again, and I heard a sound I never want to hear: crying.

My heart ached just watching her bury her face in her hands.

Without any kind of warning, my legs carried me toward her.

_"Turn around!"_ I begged them, but they had minds of their own.

Once I was behind her, I reached out a hand to tap her on the shoulder, but... I couldn't.

I took a moment to decide what the hell I was going to do, and that's when I sat down beside her, taking her left hand from her face in my right and squeezing it softly.

**Neko's POV**

I was baffled.

_"How did...?"_

I couldn't even finish a sentence.

Wiping my eyes with my right hand as Kiba held my left, I was lost for a moment.

_"How did I not notice he was behind me; here all this time?!"_

"How… how long have you been…?" I bit my lip, preventing myself from finishing my thought.

"Not very long… probably five minutes at the most."

Kiba looked… different. Like he wanted to say a million things, but was holding back.

_"Oh yeah… Shika told everyone my past… he probably feels sorry for me…"_

His eyes softened every moment he stared at me.

_"Why... why are his eyes like that?"_

I hate to admit it, but it made my heart flutter.

"...I'm sorry."

Kiba, slowly, let go of my hand as he smiled suddenly.

"Heh, you know... I had no idea how... um... how brave you were... until just now."

Time froze as I stared at him.

"Why...?"

His smile broadened ever so slightly.

"Because. I wouldn't have been able to do what you did all of those years."

My heart rate must have sped up a million times faster than it was already as the sentence registered in my mind.

_"He really... he really thinks that?"_

A sudden smile lit up my face.

_"Why didn't Naruto make me feel like this?"_

I didn't have time to answer the question as Kiba's eyes wandered from me to the Clear Pond.

"It's so clear in there... is that even possible?"

I shrugged; it had always been some sort of mystery.

"Well, pussy cat... I'm going for a swim. Wanna come with me?"

He said this so suddenly that it took more than a few moments to register in my mind.

"You're such an idiot. Cats can't swim."

My voice was cold and angry, even though I was far from it.

_"I can't swim! Is he crazy?!"_

**Kiba's POV**

"You're not serious, pussy cat... we're all human. We can swim if we try."

Her already large eyes widened even more so.

"...I'm kinda..."

"Afraid." I finished her sentence as a statement, then I huffed.

"C'mon, pussy cat. There's no reason to be scared. I'll even go in with you."

I reached out to take her arm, but she backed away from me.

"I'm not doing this."

_"Man, she's stubborn."_

"I'm not gonna let you drown, if that's what you think, pussy cat."

To myself, I sounded a little pissed off, even though that's not how I wanted to come across.

I wanted to sound... sure of myself. Serious.

She stared up at me as she stood up.

"N-no."

Rolling my eyes, I stepped toward her as I slipped off my shoes and unzipped my jacket.

"I'll teach you how to swim, if you want."

I untied my headband and it fell off of my head and into my hand as I threw it to the side.

Pussy cat was still staring at me like I was crazy. "W-what are you…?"

"What?"

"Nothing..."

She was biting her lip now, and I sighed.

_"Man, she's cute when she does that. Aww shit, not again!"_

My mind was taking over me. I was thinking things I would _never_ say out loud.

"Kiba... don't make me do it..."

"Stop being such a wuss!"

I smiled enthusiastically as I dashed toward her as fast as I could and swooped her up in my arms.

**Neko's POV**

I was terrified.

_"What if I DO drown?! I don't want that to happen!"_

My lip-biting was out of control, even after Kiba had picked me up.

"No! Don't, please!"

I found myself begging for mercy as he neared the edge of the Clear Pond.

"Tch. I'm going to teach you how to swim."

"No!" I gasped.

"Trust me."

The soft tone of voice he used... it made me look up at him:

Kiba was staring down at me with the most wide and begging eyes I have ever seen, next to mine at the moment.

"Please, let me down! I'm serious about being scared of that much water! I don't want to die yet!"

My rushed reply almost didn't escape my lips, but it did and Kiba sighed.

"Looks like we'll just see what you can do for now."

I froze in terror.

"What's that supposed to-"

But I was in mid-air.

I let out a scream, but I barely heard a sound as I hit the water and went under.

**Kiba's POV**

After throwing pussy cat into the water, I felt a little guilty.

_"She DID tell me to stop multiple times."_

But I shrugged it all away.

_"It's the only way she'll get stronger and stop being a wuss."_

I waited a moment, but her head didn't surface.

_"Don't tell me... I drowned her..."_

The panic was beginning to rise in my throat as I geared myself to jump in.

I waited three seconds for her to come up.

One.

Two.

Three.

_"I'll help her."_

I jumped in without a moments hesitation.

Due to the water being so clear, I found her within moments and we both surfaced at the same time.

Pussy cat took a huge gulp of air as she clung to my body.

"You... almost killed me..." She panted.

"I wasn't going to let you drown. I told you that. Trust me for once, pussy cat." I whispered softly as she held onto my shoulders for dear life.

I felt her shaking, and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her.

"Listen... I'm sorry for scaring you. But... I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

**Neko's POV**

I felt nothing but absolute pain in my lungs from holding my breath for so long.

_"I thought I was going to die."_

Catching my breath had to have been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Kiba's arms tightened around me for a moment, restricting my throat, but once I got used to it, I continued to catch my breath.

"You're... you're such an... idiot..." I breathed, feeling tears coming on.

"I know." Kiba's surprising answer, nonetheless, surprised me.

_"He's... admitting to something like that? Really?"_

Pulling away, I tried to get a glimpse of his face, but he turned away from me.

Floating was kinda tough; it took lots of energy.

Suddenly, Kiba turned back to me.

"Okay. Pussy cat... swim to the end of the pond, then swim back to me."

I must have been beyond surprised, as I lost my balance and tumbled for a moment before regaining it.

"...But..."

"Shh. Trust me, please."

I got a sudden flashback as he said those words to me:

_Fire._

_Fire was raging all around us angrily._

_He was staring into my eyes, begging me to trust him._

_I had to jump out of the window in the hotel, or we would die._

_"I'm serious! Pussy cat, trust me! It's going to be okay!"_

_His face was sharp as he stared into my eyes, and I knew he was serious._

_"Go. Please. I won't let you get hurt. It's okay."_

Without hesitation, I nodded.

If he was willing to give up his life to make sure I got the hell out of the burning hotel... then I think I'm capable of swimming six feet to the shore and six feet back.

I noticed a smile break out across his face.

**Kiba's POV**

"If you can't go anymore, I'll catch you."

I whispered.

_"Why the hell am I saying these things?"_

I knew why, though. They were true. I mean, hell yeah they were true, but... but... why would I say these things the way I did?

Pussy cat stared at me, then she smiled.

"Okay."

With that, she began to swim toward the shore.

For someone who had never swam in their entire life... she was good.

_"I don't even think I'll need to 'catch her', or whatever the hell I said."_

Though, I spoke too soon.

Her head disappeared underneath the water, and I automatically dove down to retrieve her.

_"I hope she's ok..."_

It was hard to concentrate on swimming straight ahead as I thought about what could have happened to make her stop so suddenly.

As soon as I grabbed her and pulled her up, she laughed at me.

"Gotcha."

My cheeks heated up automatically.

_"Damn."_

"I was just making sure you were serious when you said you would save me if I was about to drown!"

Looking down, pussy cat's face was lit up as she stared into my eyes.

Her eyes... they were gray, obviously... but... I hadn't noticed their beauty until this moment, under the moon.

_"Stop."_ I tried to tell myself, but... it didn't help.

My body was so close to hers... I could feel her body heat.

I glanced at the moon.

_"The moon looks beautiful..."_

Pussy cat's face was confused as she stared up at me; her hands were on my shoulders once again, and her eyes widened the more I stared at her.

I tried to look away, but I could barely tear my eyes away from her for a moment, and I soon found that I couldn't keep my eyes off of hers.

Believe it or not, I tried, desperately, to stop myself from what I knew I was about to do. I tried to move.

_"What the hell is wrong with me?"_ I growled at myself, angry that my body wasn't responding to the will of my brain. In fact, it was doing the exact opposite of what I wanted it to do.

I sat there, staring, until the moment came when she batted her eyes, even if it wasn't on purpose.

No matter what I tried to do, it made my brain automatically think:

_"Now's your chance. Go ahead."_ But I didn't want to. _"I don't want to… she'd kill me… she hates me. Shik would kill me, and Naruto would DEFINITELY kill me…"_

But, none of that mattered, because no matter how much I tried to argue, it was the only thing I wanted to happen at that moment.

Without warning, I grabbed her hands from my shoulders and held them together as I clasped my hands over hers.

I felt my head being pulled toward hers, though I tried to fight it.

But… her eyes just kept getting wider and wider, and the more I took in of her face, the more I wanted to.

The more I just wanted to kiss her.

_"Aww, man... I've gotta stop this..."_

My heartbeat was so out of control, I thought she, Neko Inari, could hear it.

Gradually, I felt her warm, soft lips meet mine, and I sighed as my thoughts faded away and I closed my eyes.

**Neko's POV**

My past, everything... it was forgotten.

I couldn't believe what had just happened; Kiba had kissed me. He was kissing me _right now._

My eyes were wide open with shock, but suddenly… I was enjoying it.

His lips were soft… like a pillow.

Slowly, I closed my eyes.

_"I never thought this would happen… and I never thought I would enjoy it. Especially in a pool..."_

Even though I didn't need to say it, I knew that I had wanted this all along, even though my brain wasn't willing to admit it.

That's when I felt it; Kiba was smiling through the kiss.

His lips parted just enough that I knew he was smiling, but I didn't bother to open my eyes and ruin the moment.

After a minute, though, I was nearly gasping for air.

I pulled my hand out of his grasp and pushed it into his rather-toned chest in an attempt warn him to stop before I suffocated.

He noticed the warning right away and pulled away from me quickly.

"I'm sorry." Those were the first words out of his mouth as he took what seemed like a step back, leaving me to float by myself for a moment.

_"That was... that was... so nice..."_ I stiffled a relaxed sigh as I shook my head.

"No. Kiba… it's ok."

He looked surprised now. "You… you were ok with that?"

I nodded as I smiled softly at him.

Kiba returned the smile.

"Ok… Are you… ok? I mean... um... did... did I hurt you or anything?"

He swam back up to me and was looking me up and down with confusion in his eyes as he searched all over for the supposed 'injury' that he inflicted me with. It was kinda cute, honestly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I felt a smile become glued to my face.

Without even thinking about it, I laid my head against Kiba's collarbone, making him shiver.

Suddenly, I felt his arms around me, making me warm in the chilly waters.

"Neko." Kiba whispered. This was the second time that he had ever called me by y name, and the way he said it made me weak; it was as if I was the one thing that could make him feel the way he felt right at that moment.

"Hmm?" was all I could manage.

He laid his head atop of mine and murmured softly:

"You have _no_ idea how great this feels."

_"I do too..."_

I didn't even want to argue as I closed my eyes; his arms were warm and smooth, which made me feel like I was wrapped up in warm blankets back in Konoha.

I didn't have to try to feel the steady beat of his heart drumming against his chest, and the sound only brought happiness to me.

_"...I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed... ever."_

Sighing, I closed my eyes. I felt safe in his arms.

The last thing that was on my mind was my past, or anything that had made me mad up to this point.

Kiba had taken all of that away.

Without trying to, I purred.

Kiba tensed for a moment, like he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but he almost immediately calmed down and sighed again.

"_I didn't think that Kiba, of all people, would be the one to make me feel like this. I feel better. A lot better. Maybe even better than better. Complete."_

I pulled away from him and looked up at his face and, almost instantly, his lips met mine again.

I closed my eyes again, enjoying the soft touch of him.

**Kiba's POV**

"_She makes me feel… like nothing else matters." _

I savored the second kiss and made sure to pull away early so Neko could breathe.

_"She seems to be at ease now… I guess she likes it when I'm gentle." _The thought made me smile for a moment.

She was purring again, rubbing her head against my jaw, making my legs go weak enough that I almost couldn't keep us both afloat.

I let her for a moment, and then suddenly stopped and looked up at me with beautiful, shining gray eyes.

"Kiba?"

"Yes?"

"I guess… you _can_ be nice to me."

My heart stopped as I smiled.

"Let's get out... or one of us is gonna catch a cold."

I started to swim toward the shallowest ledge, but when I noticed she wasn't following me, I turned.

"On one condition."

Her arms were crossed across her chest.

"Okay."

I was confused.

_"What could she want? Another kiss?"_

"I want... to wear your jacket. It's cold."

Without hesitating, I nodded.

"Hell yeah you can wear it. I was going to give it to you anyway."

My voice was very endearing as I felt my eyes soften as I stared at her.

_"Man... I've never really... noticed... how beautiful she is."_

My brain was allowing me to think all of the thoughts that I had blocked. The kiss had opened up all of the things I _actually_ thought about Neko.

She swam, almost flawlessly, over to me as I lifted her up onto the ledge before finally pulling myself up and lying on my back.

For a moment, I closed my eyes, and felt her kiss my forehead, shyly.

_"Heh."_

A smirk crawled up my face as I opened my eyes and stood up, lifting her up enough so she could stand, then putting her down.

Neko smiled up at me, but took my jacket from the ground and put it on.

"Your jacket… it smells just like you." She whispered as she pulled the hood over her eyes.

I laughed. "It better! Now," I dipped down to kiss her for only a moment, then I began to walk at a slow pace. "Let's get going. Shik is probably worried."

Neko stared at me.

"But... I don't... want... to..."

I recodnized fatigue in her voice.

_"All of that swimming, for a beginner, must have worn her out. Poor thing."_

"Come on. You look tired, and you're going to need your sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow."

But Neko stared up at me, her gray eyes almost white in the moonlight.

"But… I don't _want_ to leave you."

I felt my heart skip a beat at her voice; she sounded sad and like she was desperate to keep me here with her.

I brushed my hand along her cheek briefly.

"C'mon. I'll sleep in your tent if you _really_ don't want me to leave, but we _have_ to go. You're about to fall asleep on your feet."

Neko just stared up at me as I took her hand. "I'll carry you, if you want me to."

Though, she shook her head without saying anything as we began to walk.

The two of just journeyed back to the small clearing that everyone was housed in.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru was the only one still up, and he was outside. He was walking around the camp, looking deep in thought, until we strolled in.

He looked up and smiled as he whispered: "So… I guess you two have been out… bonding."

Trying to keep myself guarded, I just nodded, and held Neko's hand harder.

"We were, um... talking… and she looked like she was tired, so…"

Shikamaru just waved me off. "It's alright, Kiba. I'm not going to kill you or anything. I can see it in your eyes; you realized something, didn't you?"

I felt my world pause for a moment; I _did_ realize something. I liked Neko. More than a friend. Maybe.

_"Maybe? Hell yes, you mean. I've been trying to tell you this forever!"_

My brain tried to interfere, but I ignored my own thoughts as I stared back at Shik.

He smirked even more. "Alright, both of you go to bed. We've got a long way to go."

With that, Shik walked to his own tent, silently.

I glanced down at Neko, who looked asleep as she gazed back at me.

"Are you still going to… sleep in my tent?" She asked, sleepily.

I rubbed her hand comfortingly. "Do you _want_ me to?"

Neko yawned and shrugged, leaning into me. "Well… maybe. Just… don't get too close… I might scratch you in my sleep."

I just led her to her tent, where both Akamaru and Talon were waiting.

_"Where the hell were you?!"_ Akamaru barked at me, angrily.

I yawned, in chain reaction to Neko yawning.

"Long. Story. I'll explain in the morning, boy."

I lay down, and Neko lied down in turn next to me. I threw her blanket at her, and whispered: "Goodnight, Neko."

Without another word, I removed the hood from her head, kissed her forehead, and watched as her eyes drooped closed and she sighed, entering sleep.

It was completely silent as I lay next to Akamaru and Talon, who were both glaring at me, but I was too busy living it up on cloud nine to care.

Suddenly, sleep overcame me as I thought in my head while lacing my arm, gently, around Neko's sleeping body:

_"Best. Night. Ever."_

I sighed, tucking her head underneath my chin as I smiled again, breathing in her beautiful scent.

_"Why did I ignore these feelings for so long?"_

* * *

And that, my readers, is what ego-boosting reviews can do to a completely sane person like me. :) Yeah, I hope you liked this one. Rate/Review my best work yet!

9/22/12: Yeah, yeah! I thought I could make this chapter more badass in the sense that I had to change the name of the chapter. xD It's pretty romantic if you ask me. I loved writing this chapter both times xD I hope you enjoyed reading this; it's personally one of my best romantic works yet. By the way: this chapter is longer than my one-shot which was 7,000 words... this one is 9,117. Damn. xD Rate/Review!


	19. That's Not Who I Meant!

_Flashback:_

_I lay down, and Neko lied down in turn next to me. I threw her blanket at her, and whispered: "Goodnight, Neko."_

_Without another word, I removed the hood from her head, kissed her forehead, and watched as her eyes drooped closed and she sighed, entering sleep._

_It was completely silent as I lay next to Akamaru and Talon, who were both glaring at me, but I was too busy living it up on cloud nine to care._

_Suddenly, sleep overcame me as I thought in my head while lacing my arm, gently, around Neko's sleeping body:_

_"Best. Night. Ever."_

_I sighed, tucking her head underneath my chin as I smiled again, breathing in her beautiful scent._

_"Why did I ignore these feelings for so long?"_

Chapter 19: That's Not Who I Meant!

**Neko's POV**

I woke up, feeling the sun on my face.

Feeling a little light-headed for a moment, I heard a tired new and I turned to see Talon walking out of the tent.

_"I wonder why…she'd never get up unless she had a reason…"_

Without thinking, I stood up, feeling heavy with Kiba's coat still on, and I walked outside.

Blinking against the bright sun, the first thing I saw was Kiba; shirtless, he was pacing outside with Akamaru at his heels.

My eyes widened; I was still shocked about what had happened last night. It was almost like it was all a dream, and I didn't know how I was going to face him.

_"What... what do I do?"_

My heart was pounding out of my chest just thinking about him.

_"So... he likes me? Maybe?"_

Smiling, I tightened my fists: the very thought of him talking to me again...

He bent down and picked up Talon.

"Tch... is Neko awake yet?"

Talon meowed at him, answering him, and he asked:

"Really?"

_"He doesn't understand her."_

Stiffling a giggle, I realized Talon had said I was awake.

Before I could do anything, he looked over at me from petting Talon and smiled as he put her down.

Thankfully, he was the only one in the clearing at the moment, so I ran to him, trying not to wake anyone up.

As soon as I stopped in front of him, his arms were around me in an instant.

"You're awake."

I could hear the smile in his voice.

Purring, I smiled as well. "So are you."

Suddenly, I felt his heartbeat speed up, as if he was scared.

_"Aww. He's... so cute."_

My cheeks heated up as I stepped away and took his jacket off and handed it to him.

"Here… so that everyone else doesn't suspect anything."

To be honest, I didn't really _want_ anyone to know.

Most of them would tease me for the rest of my life, but Naruto... his heart would be broken.

_"I don't want him... to feel that way. Not until it's somewhat official. Then, I'll tell him."_

Kiba grinned even more broadly at me as he took his jacket back and put it on, zipping it real slowly.

"Yeah. Thanks, pussy cat."

It wasn't the normal way that he said my nickname... it was in a very light teasing way. It made me feel like I was walking on the clouds.

"I wonder what all of them would do if they found out…" I speculated aloud.

Kiba looked thoughtful.

"They would probably all flip out."

I just nodded; I knew that's exactly what would happen if anyone saw us the way we were.

Just as Kiba had said that, I heard a voice: "What a day!"

A familiar blonde spiked head walked out of a tent behind Kiba, and the two of us stepped apart instantly.

Naruto just looked at us suspiciously and asked: "Whatcha guys talking about?"

I glanced at Kiba and shrugged.

"We were arguing over who is a better partner; Talon or Akamaru."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment, then he rubbed his head.

"Gee… that's a tough one. Carry on, then."

He just stared at us, but I was too busy staring at Kiba, who was staring back at me.

Without trying, a small smile spread across my face. As if we were connected, Kiba smiled back at me, and, for a moment, I forgot Naruto was even there.

Naruto laughed at us suddenly.

"So… you guys seem to actually be getting along today… that's great!"

He smiled and gave the two of us thumbs up, and began to look around, talking to himself as he walked away.

"I wonder when everyone else will wake up… I'm going to have some ramen when we get back to the village…"

I giggled for a moment; Naruto may very well be one of the most annoyingly funny people I had ever met, but he was a nice guy.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I looked up at Kiba, who was staring at me with eyes that I was confused about… like he was in thought.

_"Since when does he think about doing ANYTHING?" _

I thought, trying not to laugh.

Kiba must have seen the look on my face, because he laughed.

"Laughing at me, huh? Ok… then I guess… hold on!"

He ran off into the forest, without warning, where Talon and Akamaru were both staring into.

"_Ok… what was that all about? He really IS one crazy mutt."_

I laughed to myself as I approached Naruto, who was looking into the distance.

"What's wrong with that dog today, Neko? He was fine last night." His eyebrows were raised in confusion, and I shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know."

Akamaru and Talon walked over to me, looking content, and Talon mewed, asking me what had happened last night.

Naruto, thankfully, had gone looking for Kiba, so I could explain to the animals what had happened in peace.

Once I had finished, Akamaru barked at me, and Talon explained that he had asked if Kiba told me anything about liking me.

"You can understand him, Talon?"

I was both surprised and impressed, and Talon just flicked her tail, telling me that she was impatient and that I should just answer the damn question.

"Ok, ok… no, actually… he didn't."

Akamaru looked like he shook his head, and Talon looked like she was about to sigh out of exasperation, but soon let the matter go.

Shrugging, I looked off into the distance where both boys had disappeared.

_"I wonder where they went...?"_

**Kiba's POV**

I ran at full speed, suddenly remembering exactly what I had wanted to do yesterday, but had ended up getting found out by Akamaru.

_"I was going to get her this really sweet smelling flower… I could smell it from where I was earlier, and that's why I tried to run off to get it yesterday. But, Akamaru got in my freaking way… laughing at me and taunting me. Stupid dog..."_

I huffed, angrily, and I soon reached more of the same flower.

It still looked all pink and girly, but it smelled beautiful.

_"Reminds me of her."_

Smiling softly, I bent down to pick up a few, but heard a voice behind me.

"Stupid dog! What would you bother with _flowers_ for?"

I felt my eyes widen as I recognized Naruto's voice.

_"Dammit…"_ I turned around and shrugged.

"Uh… there's someone I want to give them to."

The line slipped out, and I instantly wanted to kill Naruto to get rid of the evidence.

_"Shit."_

Naruto's eyes widened and he got a foxy smirk on his face.

"Oh… I think I can help you."

Naruto began to walk back to the clearing, motioning for me to follow.

_"How does he... KNOW... I mean Neko? Did he... did he see us last night?"_

The very thought of that was enough to make my knees go weak.

As we made our way back, Naruto started telling me exactly how to go about what I was about to do:

"You could give them to her as soon as we walk into camp. Yeah, and I'll help you!"

I scratched my cheek as I gripped the flowers tighter.

"Thanks, man. I might have to owe you one!"

We arrived back at the camp, where everyone was awake now.

Naruto grabbed me by my jacket, which, to me, still smelled of Neko.

"C'mon, just follow my lead."

He led me over to Hinata, which made Kiba think: _"Those two have been awfully close… I wonder if Naruto likes her…?"_

But Naruto grabbed me and shoved me in front of him.

"Hinata, I think Kiba wants to give you something."

_"WHAT?"_

My reaction must have exploded a couple of brain cells.

I turned around and gave Naruto a look, but he just winked and sauntered off to a distance, as if he had done nothing wrong.

Before I looked away, I noticed Neko looking down at Akamaru and Talon, smiling and petting them both. The sight of it made me smile softly as I turned back to Hinata, who was looking up at me.

"What'd you… want to… give me?" She asked, shyly.

Iwas in turmoil. Confusion and anger plagued my mind.

_"What the hell do I do? This is the LAST time I EVER let Naruto help me with anything… these aren't for Hinata, they're for Neko… but I can't just say I have nothing… that's not polite, and Hinata's a nice person and wouldn't understand why I said I didn't have anything… ugh. Naruto will pay for this. Neko will understand if I just... tell her what happened, right?"_

I held out the flowers to her.

"Here."

Hinata got a bright blush on her face.

"T-thank you! You're so k-kind."

She stuttered a bit, and hesitantly took the flowers from me. Shyly, she put one in her hair, which made the pink flower stand out.

"O-orchids are my favorite… thank you again, K-Kiba." Hinata hugged me for a moment, and I thought for a moment, feeling a slight, involuntary blush ignite his cheeks.

_"Dammit. I will KILL Naruto. I will, I promise."_

As Hinata walked away from me for a moment, and I was about to join Neko and tell her what happened, but I turned and saw her staring at me with wide, sad eyes.

My heart instantly stopped as I felt my own eyes widen.

_"No. Please… no. They weren't for her, pussy cat. Please…"_

Mentally, I tried to make Neko see that the flowers were for her.

It didn't do any good as I watched tears began to fall down her cheeks.

I started toward her, biting my lip, trying to prevent the same from happening to me.

Before I could get anywhere near her, she got up, wiping her eyes, and began helping Shikamaru with putting the tents away and packing up.

_"Neko... no... I'm... I'm sorry. I don't want to make you cry."_

Wiping my eyes, I turned away from Neko, wanting desperately to talk to her, but I knew I couldn't.

_"I'll be lucky if she'll even LOOK at me now..."_

Shikamaru was staring at me and he shook his head when our eyes met, but began to help Neko on the tent that she was clumsily fumbling with.

Talon had followed Neko, angry and slit eyes on me the whole way, and Akamaru followed her, without even looking back at me.

I must have been shaking at this point.

_"I can't... I can't do it. I'm sorry, I can't..."_

Looking down at my hands, I saw that I _was_ shaking as I bit my lip and felt my hand go up to my forehead, where Neko had kissed me last night.

_"I don't want to lose her..."_

The thought stayed with me until I heard a voice behind me.

"Looks like it went well, Kiba!"

My eyes snapped open and they narrowed as I recodnized Naruto's voice.

_"Who the hell does he think he is; he ruins me, then expects that he can just walk right up to me and talk as if nothing happened? Hell no."_

I turned around, angrily, and punched Naruto in the face without even thinking about it, thus making him recoil in pain.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed, so that everyone looked back at him, except for Neko, the animals, and Shikamaru.

"I helped you with Hinata," Naruto hissed so that no one could hear him.

"_No. You didn't. You fucked everything up." _

All I wanted to do was scream and yell at Naruto.

I wanted him _dead_.

Though, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't say anything; my mouth wouldn't open.

I was too anguished to even see straight ahead of myself at the moment.

_"Neko probably will never talk to me again. She probably thought I was just playing her from the start. That was the last thing I was thinking of... I'm not a player. Not when it comes to her."_

Naruto just growled at me in the meantime and walked away.

"K-Kiba..."

Imagining Neko staring at me and asking for me, I turned around quickly only to see Hinata motioning for me to go over to her.

I took one last look over my shoulder at Neko, whose shoulders were bobbing up and down in silent and subtle tears, and Shikamaru walking over to comfort her.

Blood was pouring into my mouth as I watched her cry even harder.

Killing myself was on my mind, and I could barely stop thinking about that to ask myself:

_"What the hell have I done?"_

* * *

Alright, I know I've said this a lot… but it's getting hella intense. Like, this time, I'm NOT joking. At the moment, it's on. Right, well… rate/review!

9/23/12: Not much was changed here either... and today is Ino Yamanaka's birthday! Hahah... ok, Rate/Review!


	20. On The Road Again

_Flashback:_

_I was too anguished to even see straight ahead of myself at the moment._

_"Neko probably will never talk to me again. She probably thought I was just playing her from the start. That was the last thing I was thinking of... I'm not a player. Not when it comes to her."_

_Naruto just growled at me in the meantime and walked away._

_"K-Kiba..."_

_Imagining Neko staring at me and asking for me, I turned around quickly only to see Hinata motioning for me to go over to her._

_I took one last look over my shoulder at Neko, whose shoulders were bobbing up and down in silent and subtle tears, and Shikamaru walking over to comfort her._

_Blood was pouring into my mouth as I watched her cry even harder._

_Killing myself was on my mind, and I could barely stop thinking about that to ask myself:_

_"What the hell have I done?"_

Chapter 20: On The Road Again

**Neko's POV**

When I... when I watched Kiba give Hinata an orchid... I didn't know _what _to feel.

Hate? Sadness? Both? Neither?

I couldn't even stop the tears that were running down my face.

_"He must have been playing me the whole time. Being a player. And I thought last night was REAL. It really hurts. He has no idea." _

Turning only for a brief and anguished moment, I saw him crouching with Hinata, probably looking at some bug together.

_Together._

That word hurt. It really, really did.

I had finally stopped crying for a moment, but I felt another wave of tears coming on.

Shikamaru must have seen it because he grabbed my shoulder.

"As the closest thing, besides Ryu, that you have for a brother, I feel obligated to rip Kiba to _pieces_, if that's ok with you?"

I could see the anger and hatred in Shika's eyes. He looked the way I felt on the inside.

Shaking my head, I wiped away my tears: no matter _what_, I wasn't going to let him do that.

"N-no thanks, Shika. I'll be f-fine."

He shrugged.

"Whenever you need me to, I'll do it." Walking away, Shika joined Lee to help him clean up, leaving me to my thoughts.

Talon sauntered up to me now, waving her tail in a very pissy manor, ranting and raving on how she couldn't believe Kiba had done such a thing.

All of Talons words, or… mews, only made me fight harder not to cry.

I slid to my knees, then dropped to the foresty floor, feeling closer to useless than I'd ever felt before.

Suddenly, orange caught my eye as Naruto ran over to me, dropping down on one knee beside me, forcing Talon to hiss and stop ranting.

"What's up, Neko?!" He sounded ecstatic, and I sighed.

"N-nothing, Naruto."

Naruto still seemed happy.

"Did you _see_ Kiba and Hinata?! They look _great_ together, wouldn't you say?!"

The moment he said both of their names in the same sentence, like they came as an item, not separate, I nearly lost it.

It hurt to hear what had just come out of his mouth, and as a result, I almost didn't hear the last part, but when I did, it hurt _more_.

"Yeah." I finally managed to say. "They do."

Naruto, followed by myself, looked up at the so-called 'couple'; they were chasing a butterfly together, but when Kiba saw the two of us, I noticed he almost pointedly looked away from me.

_"Was that... anger in his eyes?"_

It was almost impossible to tell from the distance, but to me... he looked angry. Very. Angry.

Naruto turned to me just as I was turning to look away.

"What's wrong, Neko? Did Kiba say something to you that I missed?"

I looked into his blue eyes, seeing only concern for myself, and I found that I couldn't answer that.

_"He didn't NEED to say anything."_

Naruto's eyes suddenly became sharp.

"What did he say to you, Neko?!"

I shook my head. "H-he didn't say anything to me…"

"Then, what the hell did he do?!" He demanded.

The tone in his voice just made me lose it; I couldn't put up with anything anymore.

I broke down in tears again, covering up my face.

Strong arms suddenly laced around me.

"It's alright, Neko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Naruto was hugging me, sounding scared and genuinely sorry.

_"He's such a thoughtful person..."_

There the loud sound of footsteps coming toward us at a great speed, and when I looked up, Lee was coming toward the two of us.

"THE POWER OF YOUTH COMPELS ALL TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL BACK TO THE LEAF! WE SHALL MAKE IT IN A WEEK!"

I could almost _see_ Naruto roll his eyes.

"Bushy brow… we'll take about two weeks to get there. I can tell you that _right now._"

I looked up in time to catch Lee's distraught expression.

"Aww…"

He turned and walked over to Shikamaru again, who was watching Naruto and I with a puzzled expression before he got back to work.

Talon just meowed something about needing to get going, and Naruto pulled away from me.

"It's ok. I'm sure once we get back to Konoha, everything will go right back to the way we left it! Believe it!"

He stood up, and I couldn't help but smile through my tears at his enthusiasm.

_"No matter how upset I was... he... he can cheer me up."_

I stood up with him, wiping my tears.

"Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and walked away over to Lee and left me sitting there, thinking to herself.

_"I just wish… that everything that happened was real. I wish Kiba and I… could have been together. For the first time, everything felt… right. Like it was supposed to be. Now, it's like everything that's happened wasn't even worth it. I finally started to like him... and I thought he finally started to like me... maybe even more than just friends... but..."_

I bit my lip, trying not to think about it.

Suddenly, I got a Naruto-like rush of determination.

I wasn't going to let myself cry anymore; I was going to be strong and pull through it, no matter what.

Maybe even forget about Kiba, too.

We're supposed to be enemies anyway, right?

Suddenly, Shikamaru's voice cut into my thoughts; "Well, we've got everything, especially the scroll," He patted his kunai sack on his hip, and continued.

"I think we should get going, huh, guys?" He surveyed everyone, eyes resting on me for only a moment before flicking to Talon and Akamaru beside me.

Shikamaru handed everyone a tent.

"Your stuff is inside of them. Let's get going."

We started out, motioning for me to join him at the front. I did, and he looked down at me.

"So… how's it going?"

I looked up at him, trying not to cry.

"It's fine. I'll live. I'm not going to let myself cry about it anymore. I've been through worse, so why should I?"

Shika just nodded, smirking. "I knew you were strong, Neko, but I expected your tears for maybe three days at the most. I'm proud."

For what seemed like the first time in years, I smiled up at him, and we both looked back at our team:

Naruto was smiling at me, standing beside Lee, who looked eager to get going back to Konoha, and Hinata was holding Kiba's hand, looking happy.

Kiba, though, looked embarrassed, not angry or anything like I thought I had seen earlier.

When he looked up, though, his face changed into the most God-awful expression that I had ever seen; it was as if he wanted to say millions of things, but chose not to.

It was anger and hatred in its worst form.

_"...What's on his mind?"_

As much as I didn't want to talk to him, I wanted to talk to him and know exactly what was up.

I noticed that the look wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, and his eyes shot to me when he saw me looking at him.

Turning away quickly, I felt tears building up, but I decided to suck them up.

It wasn't happening today.

**Kiba's POV **

We were finally getting going, and Hinata was holding onto my arm and hand for dear life.

_"I wish that didn't happen. Hinata's nice and all, but… Neko... she makes me feel so much different. This WOULD happen the moment that I admit my feelings for her to myself."_

I heaved a heavy sigh; this couldn't be happening. My life was _not_ crumbling in front of my eyes.

_"I'll have to ask Hana for advice, even though I hate it. She's such a know-it-all, but she'll know what to do."_

Heartbreak was one thing that I didn't really know the true meaning of, but now... I think I did. Especially when I noticed Naruto edging closer and closer to Neko.

What I was seeing was unbelievable; Naruto had somehow slithered his way next to Neko now, and had struck up a conversation.

At first, I just huffed to myself.

_"It's nothing. It's not like she'd ever fall for someone like HIM… there's just no way. He's WAY too annoying for her. She'd never go for him." _

However, Neko leaned into him and let him take her hand, similar to the way she had leaned into me last night after the encounter with Ryu.

I felt myself gasp as a small, but painful and quick, ache pierced my chest in the spot where my heart was supposed to be.

My right hand, not occupied by Hinata, flew up to it as the pain began to fade away.

Hinata looked up at me.

"Is anything… wrong?"

I looked down at her kind, caring face, and her midnight blue hair swaying in the slight wind.

"No. Everything is… fine."

"_That… hurt. What the hell was that?"_

I glanced at the spot where my hand was clutching.

_"It must have been nothing."_

I looked up again, and Naruto was laughing and telling Neko about the time he and Choji had an eating competition, and Naruto had, surprisingly, won.

Neko must have been smiling; I could hear the half-laughter in her voice as she sighed.

"That must have been so much fun."

To be honest, just hearing her _voice_ was enough to make me flinch, and I looked away, trying not to stare at her shiny, black hair, or her nearly perfectly tanned skin.

It hurt enough just watching her _walk_ with Naruto; I don't need to watch her be _happy_ with him.

_"Tch."_

Suddenly, Lee was walking next to me as the horizon blazed pink in front of us.

"Are you two happy that we are going back to Konoha… finally?" Lee asked, sounding tired, which was weird considering that he was one of the most energetic and healthy people that I knew.

"Yeah." I replied, squinting my eyes against the glare.

"It'll be nice going back to see my family and all of our dogs again."

I glanced down to see Talon and Akamaru walking together.

_"Why can't we be like that again...?"_

Hinata spoke up.

"Yes, and we could all begin training again."

As I listened to the conversation, I tuned into Naruto and Neko's.

"...So, when we get back, what are you going to do?"

Neko shrugged. "I don't know."

"Why don't you and I do some missions together, and after we're done, we can spend our mission money on ramen?!"

My heart stopped when she turned to him and smiled.

"That sounds nice."

Those words hit me with more force than my mom did back in the pre-genin days when she found out I had been skipping class with Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru because we were bored.

I grasped where the dull pain was coming from, trying to get it to stop, but it kept getting worse.

_"I'll try and ignore it."_ I decided, as I listened to Lee and Hinata talk about what _they_ were going to do when we all got back to the village.

I tuned in just in time to hear Lee ask me:

"What do you think you are going to do once we get back to the village, Kiba?"

Honestly, I didn't really know what to do.

"I'll probably just go back to normal routine; taking Akamaru for walks, doing small missions…training… the usual stuff."

Lee pumped his fist.

"I think we shall all resettle into life well, don't you?"

Hinata smiled and nodded.

"Yes! We'll all make new friends, isn't that right, Kiba?"

I couldn't argue; I hadn't really talked to Hinata much, mainly because she was really quiet, and usually seemed to blush when she was with Naruto, but she seemed to open up when she talked to me now.

"I guess we will." I nodded.

The team of six and two animals headed off into the sunset, none of them could wait until they got back to Konoha… they could finally take a break after the conditions they had to deal with for the last month or so.

* * *

Meh… this chapter was alright. The next chapter is a time-skip to when they _FINALLY_ get back to the Leaf and officially complete their mission, so things should pick up. Rate/Review! :)

9/23/12: Nothing much has been changed... I saw a story that was published in April 2012, which is a _month_ before mine, with 50 favorites, 70-some alerts, and a thousand reviews. I. Am. So. Pissed. Rate/Review.


	21. Back In Konoha

_Flashback:_

_I tuned in just in time to hear Lee ask me:_

_"What do you think you are going to do once we get back to the village, Kiba?"_

_Honestly, I didn't really know what to do._

_"I'll probably just go back to normal routine; taking Akamaru for walks, doing small missions…training… the usual stuff."_

_Lee pumped his fist._

_"I think we shall all resettle into life well, don't you?"_

_Hinata smiled and nodded._

_"Yes! We'll all make new friends, isn't that right, Kiba?"_

_I couldn't argue; I hadn't really talked to Hinata much, mainly because she was really quiet, and usually seemed to blush when she was with Naruto, but she seemed to open up when she talked to me now._

_"I guess we will." I nodded._

_The team of six and two animals headed off into the sunset, none of them could wait until they got back to Konoha… they could finally take a break after the conditions they had to deal with for the last month or so._

Chapter 21: Back In Konoha

**Neko's POV**

I sighed; I felt nearly defeated.

_"It's been two weeks. I hope we'll get back soon. I don't think I can deal with this much longer…"_

Looking back at my teammates, I noticed Shikamaru looked like he could sing a happy tune.

_"He must not be able to wait to see Temari,"_ I concluded.

Naruto was beside me, like he had been since we set out to Konoha.

He smiled at me as our eyes met, making me smile back, I continued to survey my colleagues.

Lee was pumping his fist every so often, Hinata was holding onto Kiba's hand, and Kiba himself was just looking around at every small thing we passed.

I huffed at the sight of him; the two of us hadn't said a single word to each other since the day that he had given those stupid flowers to Hinata.

They were orchids, nonetheless! That only made me even angrier, because orchids, no matter how… ew… I thought they were, they were the only tie to my mother that I'd ever have.

I looked away from him, feeling my teeth dig into my lip.

_"__If he wanted Hinata the whole time, then why didn't he just say so? He didn't have to go and give her those damn flowers right in front of me."_

Shikamaru, no matter how much I told him to stop, glared at Kiba every chance he got.

Suddenly cutting into my thoughts, Naruto exclaimed:

"Guys! Can't you see it?!"

Everyone looked up, and sure enough, Konoha was standing in front of us, only about fifteen minutes away if we kept the same pace.

I watched as smiles suddenly appeared on everyone's faces.

All except for one, though; Kiba.

_"Why him? I mean, he's got everything that he wanted, right? Yeah, so why is he still frowning?"_

I almost snorted, but I stopped myself when I heard Shikamaru's voice;

"Ok, since this mission has been a drag, and I'm usually not really one for being 'fun', I think we should finish this with a race; whoever can get to the village first, wins."

Naruto was jogging in place, anticipation in his eyes.

"Not bad, Shik, not bad. But are there any… rules?"

Shikamaru shook his head, smirking.

"Since when is there fun with rules? I learned a thing or two back in the day, Naruto, when we used to piss Iruka off in school. Good times, and probably the _only_ time I'll ever learn anything from _you_, of all people."

Naruto just smirked and giggled, then shrugged.

"Ok… what does the winner get?"

Shikamaru rubbed his chin, thinking.

"The winner gets… this," he reached into his kunai sack, and pulled out a free ramen coupon from Ichiraku.

I felt a smile light up my face when I saw Naruto's eyes become nearly possessed.

"WHEN DOES THIS RACE START?!"

Lee was running in place.

"No one can beat me! Gai-sensei has personally trained me to become faster, so winning will not be an easy feat!"

Naruto just smirked, almost-cockily.

"Whatever, bushy brow."

I lined up between Naruto and Shikamaru, and Lee took the spot next to Naruto on his left, then it was Kiba and Hinata on the end.

"Since it's my coupon, and I don't want it, therefore I'm giving it to the lucky winner of this competition, I call the shots."

I just rolled my eyes; I was, honestly, eager to get the hell home so I could go take a nap in a real bed that wasn't going to explode because of paperbombs.

"When can we get started?!"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Ok… ready… set… go!"

All of us set off, and I fell behind only to Lee, who was ridiculously fast.

_"Looks like Talon and I have to work on our speed when we get a free day; I thought we were fast, but Lee is ridiculous!"_

Suddenly, Lee tripped and fell, putting Talon and I in the lead.

_"Poor Lee; but... you snooze, you lose."_

I looked back and saw noticed that no one was challenging me for the lead.

_"Noobs."_

Soon, the gates to the village were in sight, but suddenly, I saw a flash of orange speed by me.

Before I could comprehend what had just happened, Naruto had reached the gates only moments before me.

"Hah! I win!"

He was jumping up and down like a kid who was hyped up on sugar or something, and I slowed to a stop beside him, coming in second place.

_"How the hell did he catch up?! I guess I should have expected nothing less than surprises from Naruto... he's unpredictable."_

Hinata came in third, whereas Kiba, came in fourth, making me snort softly and look away, and Shikamaru was helping Lee, who was jumping on one foot.

Poor Lee looked angry as he began to angst:

"No! Gai-sensei will be so upset with me! I am sorry I have failed you!"

Shikamaru sighed as he let Lee stand on his own.

"Not bad, Naruto, not bad. I should have known you were somehow going to win. As promised," he held out the ramen coupon, making Naruto laugh.

"Hell yeah! Thanks, Shik! Now, I'm gonna go put this to good use-"

"Not so fast, hotshot. We still have to go back Lady Tsunade and report that the mission was a success. She'll be happy that we _FINALLY_ finished it after a month... two weeks ahead of schedule."

_"If only I had stayed in the damn village." _I thought, sourly, as Shika led the team, with Lee almost slung over his shoulders, through the streets of Konoha.

People were looking at us and smiling, and at one point, we passed Sakura.

She looked like she had to do a double take on us, but in the end all she did was wave at us.

We continued on until we finally reached Tsunade's office.

Shikamaru, naturally, knocked on the door, and she yelled:

"If you're here with the taxes, then you can go fuck yourself because I'm having some sake and I'm not paying those damn things!"

Naruto put his hands on his head.

"Typical Granny Tsunade! Always drinking, never does anything else... except maybe sleep on the job and gamble a bit..."

I smiled at him, and he scratched his cheek and smiled back at me.

Shikamaru opened the door, ignoring Naruto.

"No, Lady Tsunade… we completed the mission. We've done it."

I entered the room just as Lady Tsunade's eyes widened.

Shikamaru took the green scroll from his kunai pouch.

"Here you go."

He handed it to her, and she sighed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, thank you, Shikamaru. You guys, too."

Naruto was still jumping around.

"So… we're free to go, Granny Tsunade?"

She slammed her hands down on the desk.

"I'M NOT THAT OLD!"

Naruto nearly flew out of the room in fear as he ran down the steps, but when she was done yelling, Shikamaru turned to all of us.

"Since we're all back home, I think all of you deserve the rest of the day off. I'll fill out the form for completing the mission, and you guys can go do whatever you want."

Before I knew it, we were all outside, where Lee, still stumbling but looking alright, spoke up.

"I must go find Gai-sensei! We must resume our training and become better!"

He ran off, leaving a trail of dust floating in the air, to the training field.

I sighed. "I think I'll just go back to Shika's house… go take a shower, get cleaned up… change my clothes… you know."

Walking away, I felt all sorts of gazes on my back.

_"I wonder if maybe... just maybe... one of them is Kiba...?"_

My feelings rushed up to my throat, making me feel as if I was nearly choking, so I began to run, feeling the presence of Talon at my side as the two of us took off in a full sprint to Shikamaru's house.

Running all the way there took enough work... but trying not to think about anything was hell.

When I got there, I wiped all of the sweat from my forehead.

"Well, Talon; looks like after we get all cleaned up, we can just relax."

Talon meowed in agreement, and I proceeded to take a much needed, hot and soothing shower.

As I stood in the shower, I thought about how long it'd been since I'd had one, so I cleaned extra well this time around.

Once I had gotten out, I then got dressed, finally able to wear one of my personal favorite outfits; a thin black plain jacket, with a white tank-top underneath, and black cargo shorts that stopped just below my kneecaps. Like normal, my headband was tied to my ankle.

Shoeless and carefree, I was just about to settle down and probably take a cat-nap on the couch, when the doorbell rang.

"_Psh. Who could it be?" _

Before running to the door, I thought for a moment, and then concluded:

_"It's not him."_

I opened up the door to reveal none other than Naruto standing there, looking kind of embarrassed.

"Hey." I laughed, leaning against the doorframe.

He scratched the back of his head.

"Hey. Listen, Neko… uh, you know the free ramen coupon I got from Shik, right?"

I nodded, automatically knowing what he was getting at.

_"How sweet."_

"Well, uh…" I thought Naruto looked really embarrassed and almost lost for words, which was kinda uncharacteristic of him.

"Yes, Naruto?" Trying to egg him onto what he was about to say, I widened my eyes when I saw how desprate his became.

"Will you come with me to eat some ramen?!" He nearly burst out, those blue eyes of his almost as wide as mine.

Without even thinking about it, I laughed.

I could _see_ the fear of rejection in his eyes.

_"Poor guy..."_

"Sure. I may not like ramen, but there's nothing like spending time with an old friend, huh?"

Talon entwined herself in between my legs, and then jumped onto Naruto's head.

"Hey there, little guy..." Naruto cooed, petting Talon's head.

I felt my eyes begin to slit, and I watched as Talon's eyes automatically slit as well.

"She's female, idiot." The hiss made its way out of my mouth.

"Oh," the blonde knucklehead said, sounding even more nervous as he apologized to Talon: "Sorry."

The two of us began to walk to the ramen shop, when Naruto asked aloud:

"I wonder what the others are doing now that we're back…?"

Shrugging, I tried not to think about Kiba.

_"Why is it so hard not to think about him?!"_

"I don't know..."

**Kiba's POV**

I watched as Neko disappeared around a corner with that devil cat of hers, and I almost growled when I saw the look in Naruto's eyes; it was like he already missed her.

_"Tch. As if he knows a SINGLE THING about missing ANYONE. She hasn't even LOOKED at me in two weeks, let ALONE talk to me."_

I looked away as I felt Hinata shake my shoulder.

"I'm going to head home, too."

Forcing myself to look happy, I smiled, trying not to show her all of the pain that I had felt for so long.

"Ok. See you later, Hinata."

She blushed a bit and smiled back at me, and then ran off and disappeared within the crowds.

It was only Naruto and I left standing here now, and I didn't intend to keep it that way for long.

_"As if I'd want to talk to the guy who screwed me over in the first place..."_

But before I could say _anything_ about leaving, Naruto turned to me.

"Hey, uh… I gotta ask you something, man."

"_You're the LAST person that I want to talk to."_

"What?" The growl etched its way through my gritted teeth.

Naruto was scratching his cheek in an embarrassed fashion as he asked:

"Uh… do you think I should ask Neko out to Ichiraku's ramen shop? I mean... I've wanted to for so long and everything, but I think I finally have the courage to do it!"

It took a minute for those words to process in my train of thought, and when they did, my conscience got a mind of its own.

_"What the hell?! How DARE he?! First, he screws you over and makes you lose her, and now… now he wants to TAKE her from you?!"_

All I would actually let myself say was: "Why?"

Naruto was blushing full-time now, as he smiled.

"Well… I've liked her for a while, but these last couple of weeks have been _everything_ I could have ever _wished _for, man. I mean, I think… this could be a little more than one of those stupid little crushes that you have. They say it only takes four months of liking the same person for you to love them, right? It's been more than that."

My teeth were now grinding together.

_"He knows NOTHING about feelings turning into something more. Nothing." _

It hurt enough just seeing them together 24/7 for the last two weeks, but now… he was going to take it a step further, and that was just about the _last_ thing I wanted to happen.

_"It's not going to happen."_

"I-I guess… you could try. I mean, I doubt she'd like _you,_ idiot."

To be completely honest, I tried to sound friendly and act like nothing had ever happened and that Naruto had changed my life for the better, but I knew I was failing.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous way. "There's only one way to find out…" and with that, he ran in the direction of Shikamaru's house... the direction where Neko went.

I only sighed and glanced at the small dog at my feet.

Akamaru hadn't really talked to me in about two weeks either.

_"I guess he's just as upset with me as I am…"_

I concluded as I shrugged.

"C'mon, buddy; we're going home."

The two of us ran through the streets until we came to a wooded area.

I could almost _smell_ my house from here, where my mother, Tsume, was most likely just lounging around with Kuromaru, which was her dog.

Soon, the wooded area cleared away, and my house stood high and proud against the trees surrounding it.

Akamaru began wagging his tail as Kuromaru came into sight.

When Kuromaru saw us, he growled a greeting, and Tsume came up behind her huge dog.

"Oh, hello Kiba! I didn't know that you'd be home so early! I expected the mission to take at _least_ another week or so! Welcome back!"

She gave me a smile.

I tried to smile.

"Hi, mom. Yeah, so did I. It's great to be back."

Without really taking the time to ask how things have been, I cut to the chase:

"Where's Hana? I need to talk to her."

_"It might be the only way things are gonna get better for me..."_

My mom shrugged.

"Probably being a lazy ass. She got back from work about an hour ago."

We walked back to the house, with Akamaru and Kuromaru behind us.

Once we walked into my house, I felt automatically at home as she walked into the kitchen, Kuromaru following her.

I looked around; it felt weird being back in my house after so long.

Taking no more than a moment surveying the area, I noticed Hana sitting on the couch, and she noticed me.

"Hi, Kiba! Welcome back; we're having steak for dinner."

Never before had I been so happy to hear those words, but that was beside the matter at hand.

_"Can she help me?"_

The question burned on my tongue.

"So… uh… how was your day?" I asked, trying to find a good way to start this conversation.

Hana laughed at my awkward conversation-starter.

"It was great, actually. I've been watching this show; it's about a guy and a girl who are _complete _opposites and they decide to get together. Everything gets in their way, but they always overcome it… did you need to ask me something?"

My heart stopped at the description of the show she was watching.

After hearing those words, I didn't _want_ to ask my sister for advice on what I should do about my stupid feelings.

It only hurt _more_ to think about what everything would have been like if I had given the orchids to _her,_ not Hinata.

"N-no. Never mind. Call me back downstairs when dinner is ready; I think I need to take a shower then a nap or something."

Before she could answer me, I ran up the stairs and threw myself onto my bed, unzipping my jacket.

"_What do I do?! Do I just sit back and let everything happen?! Or do I fight and get Naruto to stay the hell away from her and get her to see that what happened two weeks ago was a mistake?! It's too confusing! No matter WHAT I do, someone is going to get hurt, whether it's me, her, or Hinata!"_

I growled aloud, and then decided to climb into the shower.

In the shower, I thought over my life.

_"Should I... try to talk to her? Even though I KNOW she hates me?"_

Biting my lip, the warm water cascaded down my face.

I closed my eyes as the water rolled down my body, similarly to the way it had the night Neko and I... the night we realized how we felt for each other.

The thought of that only made my shower less desirable.

Once I hopped out, having mulled some things over in there, I lay down on my bed, shirtless, looking up at the ceiling.

_"No matter what I do… she'll still hate me. It doesn't even matter anymore."_

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting all of that sink in, and when I opened them again, it was dark. Darker than it should be... if it was near dinner.

Turning on a light and wiping my eyes, I saw Hana standing just beyond the door.

"The hell do _you_ want?" I growled, angry that she had just been staring there, as if nothing was wrong.

_"The more I see people... when they're having a beautiful day... when I'm suffering so much... it hurts. The more it hurts..."_

Hana raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, you fell asleep, and there was a girl at the door for you… she wanted to talk to you, but I said you were asleep, and she said that was fine and left."

Those words were enough to spark hope in me.

_"Neko?... Maybe she still feels the same way as I do..."_

"What did this girl look like?!"

I wanted to hear the way Hana described her. I wanted to see if she made her sound as beautiful as she actually is.

I felt my heartbeat speed up as I watched Hana think back.

"Oh… she was kind of pale, white eyes, dark blue hair that went down to the middle of her back… oh, and dinner…"

I had slammed the door in her face as I punched the wall.

"Dammit!" I snarled.

_"...It wasn't her. I can't believe I was fucking dumb enough to fucking think she'd ever talk to me again after I screwed EVERYTHING up!"_

Hana had opened the door again. "Kiba… what's up? You've been acting…"

_"Get. Out."_ I heard my own threatening voice escape from my lips.

"Differently." Hana sighed the last word as she closed my door.

I looked at Akamaru, who had been glaring at me the whole time.

"What the hell do _you_ want?" I growled at the small dog, who was curled up on the corner of my bed.

Akamaru just sighed, and then turned away from me.

"You're shunning me too, huh?"

Without waiting for a reply, I flopped back, down onto the floor, onto my jacket.

I was about to throw it, but then an image passed through my line of sight; one of Neko, just looking up at me, smiling her fang-like teeth at me, telling me that I wasn't _that_ bad, for a dog.

My eyes widened as I looked back down at the jacket, and laid my head on it.

_"It smells… just like her. So beautiful."_

I took a deep breath; inhaling, then exhaling her scent, which was the sweetest thing I had ever smelled, and fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

_"I would give ANYTHING to have you with me right now."_

**Neko's POV**

I was now walking back from my 'date' with Naruto, which had turned into a legendary competition with another one of the shop's best customers; Choji.

The only thing I had to do was sit back and watch as Naruto lost to Choji at this eating competition, with 18 bowls of ramen, compared to Choji's 27.

_"That was, probably, one of the funniest things I've ever seen."_

I smiled to myself as I remembered the look on the shop owner's face; he was so happy to see that Naruto was back from the mission, and that those two loved Ichiraku's _so_ much, that that one was on him, making our feast free.

Naruto was so surprised that he had fallen out of his stool, and Choji walked away, looking happy as can be.

He thanked the guy, pulling me away from the ramen shop as he laughed.

"So, I guess I can take you out to ramen another day, huh?"

I had laughed as well.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll meet you around here tomorrow!" And, without waiting for his answer, I had run off, Talon at my heels.

I ran back to Shikamaru's house, only to find him and Temari making out on the couch.

_"How cute!"_

As to not ruin their moment, I snuck up the stairs and to my room, falling into bed with Talon at my side, as usual.

"Talon, today was great, don't you think?" I whispered.

Talon mewed back, falling asleep, something about getting Naruto back for calling her a boy.

I couldn't help but laugh at that; typical Talon, always trying to get back at everyone for everything.

I laid my head on my pillow, and an image flashed in my mind; the memory of Kiba's arm around me as we fell asleep, the day before everything went wrong.

His steady heartbeat was so close to mine... it was almost real.

It was so real... I thought I heard him sigh, too.

_"Kiba,"_ I asked him, mentally, hoping he would hear it and answer. _"Why'd you do it?"_

There was no answer for me as the slow sound of his heartbeat put me to sleep easily.

* * *

Aww. Alright, just saying, I absolutely HATE the pairing KibaxHinata, just for the record. I can't STAND it. Ok, yeah… this chapter was _great_, in my opinion. Rate/Review!

9/26/12: Sorry I'm a little slow on these stupid edits! I'm sooo tired! Ok, Rate/Review... AND there's a sequel to this story, but don't read it until you're done reading this one!


	22. As The Days Go By

_Flashback:_

_I laid my head on my pillow, and an image flashed in my mind; the memory of Kiba's arm around me as we fell asleep, the day before everything went wrong._

_His steady heartbeat was so close to mine... it was almost real._

_It was so real... I thought I heard him sigh, too._

_"Kiba," I asked him, mentally, hoping he would hear it and answer. "Why'd you do it?"_

_There was no answer for me as the slow sound of his heartbeat put me to sleep easily._

Chapter 22: As The Days Go By

**Neko's POV**

I woke up; I _had_ to go to Ichiraku's.

It was well past noon, and I had _promised_ Naruto that I was going to help him with his missions today!

_"Shit!"_

I jumped out of bed, my headband clanking against my ankle, and I hastily pulled on another pair of cargo pants, as well as a jacket with a normal, white shirt underneath.

_"__Screw shoes; I don't need them!"_

I was rattling off things in my head that I needed to do.

It had been a week since we had all gotten back from that mission, and I couldn't deny that my life had been pretty normal.

Nothing had gotten out of hand, and the only one that I really hung out with was Naruto.

When I did so much as _think_ about him, I smiled:

Naruto and I were getting really, _really_ close these days.

Not that I minded, of course.

_"It might be fun to date him. For starters, everyone would know, and he's liked me long enough that I knew he wasn't going to cheat on me or anything of the sort." _

However, now that I had gotten on the subject of cheating...

_"Huh. I haven't even SEEN Kiba lately. I wonder where he is, not that I REALLY care or anything…"_

One thing that I had tried so hard to do was not care about Kiba. It usually took a toll on me, but it was Naruto who kept me on my feet all of this time.

Talon followed me as I rushed out of the house, already late, hoping that I looked alright.

_"If I look bad, Naruto'll make fun of me!"_

I finally got to Ichiraku's, where Naruto was waiting patiently for me.

"Hey..." I panted, nearly out of breath.

He turned to me, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, Neko! I thought you were going to be _late_ or something…"

"No," I smirked. "Since when am I _ever_ late? Psh… what missions do we have to take care of today?"

Naruto looked around.

"Hmm… actually, I don't think we have any…"

Suddenly, I looked to my right and saw Hinata walking around, looking almost lost.

Naruto seemed to follow my gaze as we both hurried to her.

"Hinata! It's been a while! Whatcha doing out here?" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata had a faint blush on her face, like normal, as she smiled.

"Oh, Naruto and Neko… nothing, I'm just looking for Kiba. I haven't seen him for _days_. I'm getting a little worried."

Naruto's eyebrows knitted together.

"Psh! That dog is always running off for no reason, and then _we_ have to go and find him! You'd think he'd at least have a _little_ bit of sense, right?"

I felt my whole _body_ shake at the thought of Kiba, especially when someone said his name out loud.

_"It's not like I care. He didn't care about me in the first place… he never did."_

I felt tears begin to breed in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away and tuned back into what Naruto was saying.

"…think we should go to his house and ask his mom where he is, if Hinata's _this_ worried. This can be our mission for the time being, Neko!"

He pumped his fist, and I _knew_ I couldn't refuse.

After all, none of them knew what had happened between the two of us… right?

"Ok, but… who's going to go to the door?"

Naruto was rubbing his chin, but Hinata shrugged.

"I guess… I can."

Naruto laughed, slapping his hands together.

"Guess this settles it… c'mon!"

He grabbed my wrist, pulling me alongside of himself and Hinata, making me blush a bit.

_"The blush WOULD happen. I've gotta stop being so girly!"_

Talon was looking at me with an unhappy expression as she meowed something about not wanting to go to his house; she seemed like she was afraid of getting chased by dogs.

"Heh," I whispered. "I know. But we have to."

"What was that?"

Naruto glanced at me, but I covered for myself. "Nothing. Talon just asked me a question."

He shrugged, and the three of us continued on to Kiba's house.

Once in the clearing-like place that was somewhat his yard, Naruto grouped us all together.

"Ok, Hinata. Neko and I will hide in the trees, and _you_ go find out what's up with Kiba. Got it? Let's meet back up next to the ramen shop."

Hinata nodded brusquely, and continued over to Kiba's house as Naruto and I sought refuge.

"_So… that's the dog's house, huh? Not bad… it's a nice place."_

Naruto and I jumped up into the surrounding trees, getting close enough to hear what was said, but far enough out of sight that the dogs would smell or hear us, and we wouldn't get caught.

Naruto seemed to give Hinata the signal, and Hinata nodded and rang the doorbell.

A girl with three dogs behind her answered, and she said something along the lines of Kiba not being able to come outside.

Hinata was being very brave, as far as the hidden two of us could tell, because she actually asked _why_ he couldn't.

The girl looked very taken aback, and she said that he hasn't really been feeling well.

Hinata looked very distraught as she finally gave in, walking away.

The girl closed the door, and Hinata walked back toward Ichiraku's.

I turned my attention to the house.

_"Hmm... I wonder..."_

Naruto grabbed my hand before I could complete my thought. "Let's go!"

We headed back to Ichiraku's, where Hinata was standing, waiting for us.

She explained everything that happened, and Naruto just scratched the back of his neck, thinking.

"Maybe he's just plain sick. Everybody gets those days…"

Hinata cut him off. "But… I saw something."

"And what might _that_ be?"

Hinata took a deep breath.

"Before I left the door, I used my Byakugan for a moment. When I did, I could see Kiba in there… he was in an area like a… kitchen of some sort, and he wasn't sick. He's completely fine."

I felt torn; I didn't know what to say in this kind of conversation, and I didn't know exactly what to do.

Also, Kiba was fine, so it put me at ease.

_"But you don't care what happens to him… do you?"_

_"No, you don't. He could be dead and you could have two hands but not give three fucks about whether he's ok or not." _

I tried arguing with myself, but no matter _what_ I did, I _knew_ I was always going to care about him, no matter what.

_"I hate this! Why can't I just hate him and stay mad at him?!"_

Hinata sighed.

"I wonder why he hasn't gotten out of his house for a week… that bothers me. But… he's ok, and that's all that matters, right?"

Naruto was nodding, and I nodded along with them, even though only one thing was on my mind;

_"That should be ME. Caring about him and everything. It SHOULD be."_

However, Naruto cut into my thoughts:

"I guess this mission is complete, Neko!"

To be honest, I couldn't help but smile at his face; it was naturally happy, without a single trace of any frown lines.

_"If he's happy, why shouldn't I be?"_

Some of my pain went away with Naruto's lone smile.

Hinata smiled at the two of us as she walked away.

"You two would make a great couple."

Then, she was gone within the large crowd of people that were walking around.

I looked to her my to find Naruto blushing at what Hinata had said.

"Ok… let's go to Lady Tsunade to see if she has anything for us to do."

He just nodded, almost absentmindedly.

"Yeah, let's go do that… but Neko..."

I turned as he asked for me.

"Yes?"

"...Nevermind."

Naruto scratched his cheek thoughtfully as he walked next to me.

_"...Kiba."_

His name hit me like a kunai in my heart, and I flinched, but forced myself to keep walking, for Naruto's sake.

**Kiba's POV**

It'd been a week since I had last done a lot of things, like ate, gone out of my house, taken Akamaru for a walk, said a nice word to anyone, gotten a wink of sleep… it just wasn't my week.

All I really wanted to do was just… die. Yeah, that's about right.

It was the only thing I could _think_ of that I wouldn't completely fuck up.

_"I wonder how everyone is doing. I hope they're doing tons better than me. I feel like shit."_

I couldn't think of anything that I could do that wouldn't hurt me; _everything_ reminded me of Neko.

_Everything._

I had tried my best to forget her, but the more I tried, the more it really, really hurt.

Every so often, I had had to grab where my heart was supposed to be when I felt pain.

_"Tch. What heart? Mine's dead."_

Recently, because of the extent of the pain, I began carving things into my skin with a kunai.

Mostly, though, I traced and re-traced her name into my wrist.

I would bleed all over the floor, but it's not like I really cared. Not anymore.

It helped me with the pain of losing someone as amazing and worthwhile as she was, and that's all that actually mattered.

I only left my room to do three things; shower, go to the bathroom, and go to dinner.

Something that I've noticed in the past was that I often went shirtless inside of my house when I was upset, and Hana knew this as well, but she only made my pain worse.

She kept fussing over me, telling me what to do, how to do it, why… she was always asking me questions, too.

_"She's probably the reason why I can't say anything nice to anyone. All Hana does is ask me questions and the more she talks to me... the more... the more I feel pain." _

It was about noon, and I was sitting in my room in the normal position; back to the wall, hands in my hair, staring at the ground.

I bit my lip, making it bleed; Neko was possibly the only thing that filled my head.

The more I tried to fight it, the more she took over my mind.

_"Damn. I miss her like hell. Can't the pain just go away?!"_

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, fast and furiously.

_"Not again..."_

I groaned inwardly.

Hana had stormed into my room for the millionth time this week.

"Kiba, get out of your room! You're making the whole _house_ depressed!"

_"How dare she talk to me like she owns me?"_ I thought in disgust.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are?!"

I heard my own voice, sounding cold and lifeless next to what I was used to out of myself.

"This is _my_ room. How am I making the whole house depressed when everyone else can just go about their normal lives?!"

Hana's eyes suddenly softened as she stared at me.

"Kiba, your friends miss you. The same blue haired one came by earlier… when you were in the kitchen getting food for Akamaru?"

I growled as I turned around, facing the wall now.

"So? Who cares?"

_"I'll only care if Neko's the one walking through my door."_

I heard Hana take a step toward me, which only made me angrier than I already was.

"Kiba…" She started as she walked toward me still.

Rage took over me.

"Get the hell out of my room, Hana." I growled.

The pain was getting more and more intense to the point where I needed to cut myself, and I couldn't do that when Hana was in my room.

She stopped, and then started back up again.

"I'm your sister, and you're going to listen to me."

"Get. The. _Fuck_. Out of my room, Hana." I heard myself snarl. I've never heard myself so cold and angry.

Hana took in a breath of air, but she was gone in moments.

Once I knew she was gone, I took a deep, relaxing breath, and then got up to close the door.

My legs ached as I forced myself into doing something. Anything.

I missed Akamaru; he wasn't in my room. He hadn't been for a while now, maybe because I was turning into a lifeless corpse right in front of him.

As I closed the door and picked up my kunai knife, I heard another sound; growling.

_"Shit!"_ I snarled in my head as my mom appeared in the door that I had just closed.

"Kiba, your attitude is _ridiculous_! You _need_ to get your ass out of the house!" She ranted at me, reminding me of Hana.

I felt only rage as I growled:

"Leave me alone, mom."

My voice was dead. I was dead.

I've thought of death so much recently... maybe it was taking a toll on me.

Her angry gaze turned blazing hot in fury as she growled back at me:

"You made Hana cry. I'm not going to leave until you tell me what the hell your problem is."

_"If I told you, you'd tell me to suck it up. It's not as easy as it fucking looks."_

I took a rage-filled breath.

"Get out of my room."

My mom only sighed.

"Kiba… you're a growing man. You need to learn that talking about your problems will make them better."

"It's not going to _get _better. In fact, if anything, it'll probably get a hell of a lot _worse."_ I said, trying my absolute best to keep my voice down.

Kuromaru was behind my mom, and if I so much as made _one_ wrong move, Kuromaru wouldn't hesitate to rip me to _pieces_, and I know that for a fact.

I couldn't do anything except just stare at her, and she sighed again.

"If you're not going to tell me… then what is it about? Is it about Hana?"

I snorted.

"This shit has nothing to _do_ with her."

"Akamaru?"

"No."

"Did you get into a fight?"

"I _want_ to."

My mom snapped her fingers and smirked.

"Go train then."

_Train._

The word reminded me of a dream I had... where I was training and Neko was with me... she kissed me.

Though, of course, it turned into a nightmare where Naruto was training just as hard as I was... and she kissed him longer than she kissed me.

It doesn't sound terrible, but when you're in as much pain as I am... it hurt like hell.

_"Shit."_

I gasped as I grabbed where my heart was _supposed_ to be.

Panting, I fought to catch my breath.

_"Why can't I just die, huh? Can I just kill myself? Will it stop the pain?"_

My mom ran over to me.

"What's the matter?!"

But I only batted her away.

"Get away from me." I growled.

Soon, I recovered from the pain enough to talk.

"Get out of my room."

There was that lifeless tone again.

Tsume just knitted her eyebrows together like she was confused for a moment, and then asked:

"Why, Kiba?"

I just felt the pain coming in waves now, which made me angrier.

"Because I can't live with anything anymore! I try so hard not to think about killing myself... but it's too hard! I have to... my heart convulses on a minutely basis, and I have to balance you and Hana out so you don't make it worse!"

The lifelessness in my voice went away as anger took over.

Tsume stared at me like she wanted to ask more questions, but she just sighed.

"Alright. I'll make dinner early."

Closing the door behind her, she left the room, along with Kuromaru.

I sat there and held my stomach for a moment; it was aching from forcing myself not to eat.

It helped take some of the pain away, but at this price… it hurt.

_"If I eat, I probably won't be able to keep it down anyway."_

Then, I heard my mom's voice again from right outside the door.

"Why don't you come downstairs and wait while I get the steak ready?"

I could only sigh frustratedly; arguing with my mother would only get me in more trouble than I was already in.

_"I didn't even have time to re-trace Neko's name on my wrist. Damn."_

Slowly, I got up, grabbing my jacket, which was more treasured by me than _anything_ at the moment, and staggered down the stairs.

The moment that I found Neko's scent on my jacket... I never, ever wanted to let the thing go.

It was like my safety blanket.

Holding it close to my face made me feel like she was right there next to me.

_"What I'd give for that to happen..."_

Once there, I flopped down on the ground, after getting licked by Akamaru.

_"Are you… feeling better?"_ Akamaru asked me, his eyebrows creased in worry.

I sighed; every time I came down the stairs, Akamaru asked me the same damn question.

"No." was all I could say.

Akamaru just sighed and lied down next to me.

Hana was on the couch, staring at the two of us, and when I looked up at her, she looked away.

I sat there, petting Akamaru absentmindedly, until Tsume called:

"Ok… dinner time."

Hana followed me into the kitchen, where steak was waiting for us. The dogs were eating like they had been starved, which was normal because steak is a very popular dish with them.

I just stared at my plate; I _wanted_ to eat it, but if I did, I'd throw up. I could feel it.

Hana was eating hers, but she glanced at me.

"Kiba, really. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I muttered, inevitably.

Hana sighed, and Tsume was eating her steak quietly, which isn't normal.

Usually, she's telling the two of us about her day, or something like that.

_"I have to go upstairs and get the pain to go away."_

"I'm going back upstairs." I announced as I left my plate, went into the living room to grab my precious jacket, and walked upstairs.

Without trying to, I heard my mother sigh, and I opened and closed the door, making everyone think that I had gone into my room.

_"I wonder... what do they talk about when I leave?"_

The pain went away momentarily as I eavesdropped:

"I wonder what Kiba's problem is?" I heard Tsume sigh.

"He hasn't been out of the house in a week, let alone said more than a few sentences."

Hana sigh as well.

"It's like he's avoiding everyone. I want to know why, but every time I ask… he just evades the question or yells at me. Have you noticed how he carries his jacket everywhere?"

"Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do with-"

"Mom… he's in pain. Have you seen how he sleeps?"

I growled quietly; my sister watched me _sleep?_ What the hell?

Tsume muttered: "That's not weird at all… watching your little brother sleep…"

Despite my shitty week, I almost laughed at my mother's response, but kept quiet as I heard Hana sigh exasperatedly.

"I only peeked in, but he holds his jacket like there's someone next to him… like he's holding someone. I think… I think he's heartbroken, mom. I've never seen him act like this before..."

His mom didn't answer as Hana continued:

"And... I saw something on his wrist. Have you _not_ noticed the smell of blood that comes from his room every day?! He cuts himself. But... not aimlessly. It's hard to explain."

I sighed softly.

_"Yeah. I didn't think Hana was in-tune with me, but she never ceases to surprise…"_

I opened and closed my door silently, letting myself into my room, and laid down on my bed.

The sun hit my face, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I suddenly felt a longing to go outside.

_"I can't do that. Too many people, too many questions… too many things that'll remind me."_

Turning, I glanced at my jacket, imagining Neko lying there next to me.

_"Man... you're beautiful."_

I thought about her looking up at me and smiling, which made me smile as well.

It was like all of the pain suddenly went away, as I fell into sleep, feeling almost complete.

_"I miss you. That night changed me. Can we have another night like that?"_

**Neko's POV**

"Oh… that was _so _much fun!"

Naruto was laughing as evening was dawning on the town, turning the streets almost pink.

I laughed; the two of us had been ordered by Lady Tsunade to help Iruka teach the pre-genin students a lesson on throwing kunai at trees, and Naruto had almost hit Iruka in the head with one.

Iruka had gotten so angry, that he cancelled the training, and the class had to do bookwork while Naruto and I had to oversee them.

Instead of making sure the room was quiet, like Iruka asked, Naruto told all of them all of the tricks he used to pull in the class, and told the kids to try them.

Although I totally didn't agree with teaching kids violent things such as putting tacks on stools, if it got the kids to turn out to be an excellent ninja like Naruto, I was all for it.

One of the kids, seeming to be a troublemaker that Naruto knew, Konohamaru, had already thought of his own arsenal of tricks.

Most of them were hilarious and harmless, but the one he chose to do was anything but; telling Iruka that there were ANBU in the school.

Iruka had gone completely _insane_ with worry, and he told all of the kids that school had been cancelled until he could find out why the ANBU were in the school in the first place.

Everyone had burst into laughter when Iruka found out the warning was faked.

Konohamaru had gotten detention, but he later told Naruto, calling him 'Boss', that it was completely worth it.

Konohamaru's two buddies were face-palming, but they said that this was totally and completely normal for him to be playing tricks like this.

I smiled at Naruto.

"Ok… well, Shikamaru told me that I had to be home early today."

Naruto put his hands behind his blonde haired head.

"Yeah? Well, in that case, I'll walk you home, then."

Talon looked up at me and rolled her eyes in an irritated fashion; she was still irked about Naruto calling her a boy, and hadn't thought of a way to get back at him yet.

I laughed for a moment, and then smirked.

"Race you there!" As I took off through the streets.

Naruto gasped from behind me.

"No fair! You _so_ got a head start!"

The two of us chased each other to Shikamaru's house, and when we got there, I beat Naruto by what seemed like a tenth of an inch.

"Ah… not bad, Neko… I thought for _sure_ I was going to beat you!" He panted.

I giggled.

"No. Not today, idiot!"

Naruto smiled and laughed for a moment.

"Well, tell Shik I said hey. And… um…"

His face suddenly turned pink, and I asked: "What's the matter?"

Naruto's face became a little more pink as he scratched his cheek.

"I was… I was wondering… if you'd... um... will you go out with me?"

To be completely and totally honest, I was at a total loss for words; I had expected him to ask me out to ramen again, not actually ask me to be his _girlfriend_!

_"What a twist of events..."_

I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought; Naruto really _was_ a nice guy, and I didn't see any reason why I should say no, but Shikamaru had taught me to think of all possible options first.

"I'll think about it and tell you tomorrow, ok?" I smiled a reassuring smile at him.

Naruto smiled back at me, his cheeks getting even pinker, if that's possible.

"Yeah, sure."

With that, he ran off in a different direction, waving at me.

I waved back, and then went inside of the house.

Shikamaru and Temari were lounging around, and when they saw me, Shikamaru shrugged.

"Welcome home. I heard you and Naruto talking outside."

Temari just waved and closed her eyes.

"You did, huh? Well, he asked me a very important question that is probably going to take a while to answer."

The look in Shikamaru's eyes automatically changed, and he sighed.

"Good luck, then."

I smiled at him and waved. "Night, guys!"

They both just grunted as Talon and I ran up to my room and I shut the door behind us, feeling nearly giddy with happiness.

"This was an absolutely _great_ day, huh, Talon?"

Talon just meowed, telling her that all she wanted to do right then was sleep.

"Man," I sighed, leading into laughter. "You always _were_ one to complain about sleep, weren't you?"

Talon growled and curled into a ball.

She was asleep in moments, and I was about to follow the same routine, but as I thought about Naruto's question, my mind told me that Kiba wouldn't be impressed once he found out.

"_That's right… ugh, I totally forgot. He doesn't deserve me anyway. Who the hell did he think he was? If he has a problem with Naruto and I going out, then he can go tell it to his pillow. He had me first, but he threw that away."_

Naruto had taken most of the pain that Kiba gave me away. Hanging out with him helped me in so many ways... but when I went to bed at night, that's when I always thought about him, and that's when it started to hurt.

I fell onto my pillow, feeling angry for a moment, but it all went away as I drifted off into a relaxed sleep.

**Kiba's POV**

* * *

_I approached Neko, who was sitting on a bench. _

_She was messing with her shiny hair, Talon flicking her tail, looking almost impatient. _

_"__She must really care about her hair…" I thought as the light nearly came off of it like a second life source. _

_As I neared her, she looked up, a smile on her face. _

_"__Hello," she whispered to me._

_"How beautiful..." I thought, lost in her eyes._

_Talon was just glaring at me, like normal, as I smiled._

_ "Hi…"_

_Suddenly, Hinata came along. _

_She looked quite normal and all, but I reached into my pocket and held out a ring. _

___"I don't have any control of my body," I growled at myself._

_As she passed me, I got down on one knee and asked: _

_"Hinata… will you marry me?" _

_Her eyes widened as she smiled._

_"A million times yes." and I got up and kissed her. _

_"Shit..." _

_I turned to Neko, whose eyes were wide with the same expression I had seen on her face the moment that I lost her._

"_I'm sorry, Neko, but Hinata is the one I wanted all along," I heard myself say. _

_"No, idiot! It's the other fucking way around!" I __tried to yell at myself, but it's like I couldn't hear myself, either. _

_Neko had gotten up, wiping her eyes, and began to run away. _

_She suddenly turned back to me, her eyes piercing me with the same look she had given me yet again._

_"I thought... you were different..."_

_Neko whispered to me, and I felt my heart break into a million pieces as I longed to run after her, but I was glued to one place._

* * *

I woke up in a cold sweat, feeling tears in my eyes as I whispered:

"I lost her, again…"

Biting my lip, I buried my face in my hands; not only had I been burdened by nightmares, but they all ended the same way every single time; Neko looking at me with sorrow and telling me something about thinking that I was different.

I looked out the window, and when I saw that it was still dark outside, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't even six in the morning yet.

_"What the hell do I do? It's too early to do anything."_

Sighing aloud, I laid back down.

"What's the point in going to bed again? It's not like I can un-see her face or anything."

I ran my finger over Neko's name etched into my left wrist.

_"Still can't believe I didn't hit a vein."_

Just as I had thought that, Hana walked into my room, making me prone to hide my wrist.

"Kiba, what are you doing up?"

"Nothing, I just had a nightmare." I replied, trying not to show my sister that I was falling apart, even if she knew it already.

Hana sat next to me on my bed.

"Oh… well, if you need me, I'll be outside-"

"I need _advice_, Hana." I cut into her sentence, reluctantly.

Her eyes opened wide.

"Really?" I nodded; that was _all_ he needed. "On what?"

I looked up.

"I need advice on what I should do."

"Be specific, Kiba," she sighed, exasperated.

Sighing, I balled up my fists.

_"Here we go."_

"Hana, I fucked up. I fucked up _big time_. I… was going to show this girl that I cared about her… more than a friend, you know? I was going to give her flowers, but… I gave the flowers to the wrong girl because of my idiot friend. Now, it's been more than three weeks since that girl has even _looked_ at me, in fact, she's closer to my idiot friend than anything… I can't stop thinking about her. Everything reminds me of her. _Everything._"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"And… it hurts to do _anything._ I don't want to come right out and say it, because I'll hurt the other girl's feelings, and she's super nice. Also, I can't _stand_ the thought of my idiot friend being with her. She… she's _mine_."

I felt myself shaking, as if getting all of this off of my chest was making me stronger.

Hana's eyes were wide open.

"So… you want to know what you can do about it?"

I nodded, biting my lip.

"Please."

Hana sighed.

"Things like this are hard, but I think you could just get with the one that you gave the flowers to. Sometimes, things happen for a reason, and maybe that's the reason. Maybe something's trying to tell you-"

I cut into her sentence, finding conflict with it:

"But I don't _want_ to be with her! She likes me now, because I accidently gave her flowers that were meant for the other girl. I didn't want this to happen!"

Hana shrugged.

"Then, you should get out of the house. The more you face the thought of the first girl, the less it'll hurt."

I sighed.

"But… it hurts, Hana. My heart convulses when I just think of her _name._"

"Poor thing…" She said, then continued: "You just need to let things happen. But… you need to still be with the second girl; maybe something will happen between you two that will change everything. However..."

Hana winked at me.

"You need to get the hell out of the house."

I growled. "Fine, I will today."

The sun was coming out, shining through the trees.

"That's about all the advice I can give you."

She began to walk away, but she stopped and turned back to me.

"You must really have it bad for that first girl if you're going through all of this for her."

"You don't understand, Hana. I think... I think I fell in love with her."

As soon as the words escaped from my mouth, I regretted them.

Non-stop this entire week... that word... love... it was all I thought about.

_"Do I really... love her?"_

It sure was possible.

There was an awkward silence after this, but then Hana glared at me.

"Kiba, throwing around that word is only going to get you in trouble one day…"

_"Why doesn't she understand?!"_

I growled:

"Is love when all you think about is that one person? When you'd give your _life_ to make sure they're ok? When you get worried because they got a small cut on their leg? When your heart beats only for that person? When just looking at them gives you the strength of a million men? Because that's what I feel for her."

_"Damn... did I really say that?"_

My heart was beating a million times faster now as Hana's eyes widened.

"Y-you really…?"

I nodded.

"Yes. I do. I love her. But… I lost her…"

Biting my lip, I thought:

_"There we go with that word again... I still can't believe I lost her. How can I even take it anymore?"_

I stood up and made a fist.

"I'll get her back… I promise. Thank you, Hana."

For the first time in a week, I smiled without trying at Hana.

She laughed, her eyes twinkling.

"Good. Now… go outside."

Hana left the room as soon as the light hit my face.

_"I don't care what it takes. I'll do anything… but, I'll get her back. I promise."_

If I had to go through hell and back, I'd do it.

Neko was mine, and I'll stop at nothing to have her by my side again.

Biting my lip, I fought off the smile that was playing on my lips as I fell back asleep, dreamless... but happy.

More than happy.

Complete.

* * *

Yup. This chapter took a LOT of work, but I think it turned out alright. :)! Kiba _finally_ admitted it to someone, but let's see how far he'll go… Rate/Review!

9/27/12: Trying to speed up the edits! Yeah, ok, so it's like... I don't know about you, but I'd feel sorry for Kiba... This chapter is pretty awesome... don't you think? Rate/Review!


	23. Changes, Confessions, and Picnic Baskets

_Flashback:_

_"I don't care what it takes. I'll do anything… but, I'll get her back. I promise."_

_If I had to go through hell and back, I'd do it._

_Neko was mine, and I'll stop at nothing to have her by my side again._

_Biting my lip, I fought off the smile that was playing on my lips as I fell back asleep, dreamless... but happy._

_More than happy._

_Complete._

Chapter 23: Changes, Confessions, and a Picnic Basket

**Neko's POV**

I woke up around noon, feeling nearly fully rested as I said to myself:

"I think… the answer to Naruto's question is going to be yes."

Talon had woken up next to me and was stretching.

Obviously, Talon wasn't a big fan of Naruto, so she would probably veto the idea if she had actually heard me.

I jumped out of bed, suddenly ecstatic at the thought of seeing Naruto's happy face when I told him.

_"He'll be so happy..."_

Talon just looked at me and flicked her tail unhappily, as if to ask: "What are you doing?"

I laughed.

"I'm going to… tell Naruto that I accept!"

Talon almost rolled her eyes as she hissed, her fur standing on end.

Today, I picked out my outfit carefully; a small, light blue jacket, with yet another white tank top underneath it. I decided on a white pleated skirt that stopped just above my kneecaps. I grabbed my headband and tied it around my left ankle like normal, and growled: "Since when do I ever wear shoes in the village?"

Still charged with energy, I ran into the bathroom, grabbing my brush and brushing my hair quickly; it already looked ok, but I just wanted to make sure.

_"At this rate, Naruto will tell me 'nevermind' about asking me out!"_

Talon jumped onto my shoulder and mewed, telling me that if we were going to finally beat Naruto to Ichiraku's, then we'd have to leave almost right then.

Shikamaru was downstairs with Temari, like normal, when I walked down the stairs.

He was humming some happy tune, and Temari said as she looked at me:

"Where are you going? You look nice today."

I almost blushed.

"Thanks, and I'm going to go accept a proposal."

Shikamaru stopped with the happy tune, and turned, his eyes wide.

"Proposal?! Naruto asked to _marry_ you?!"

Temari threw a newspaper at him, her eyes flashing.

"You know, for a _tactical_ ninja, you really _can_ be really stupid. No… he asked her _out_ last night, and she's gonna go tell him yes."

Without wasting any time, I smiled.

"Idiot. Well, I'm off. Bye!"

I hurried out of Shikamaru's house, and ran toward Ichiraku's ramen shop.

_"Yes, I think I beat Naruto!"_

Once there, I only had to wait a moment until I saw a familiar orange jumpsuit racing through the streets.

"Hey, Naruto!" I called, getting his attention immediately.

He stopped in front of me, his blue eyes wide.

"Woah, Neko, you beat me! I'm impressed."

I noticed Naruto took a moment to look at my outfit, then he smiled.

"You look nice today… is there a reason?"

I couldn't wait for his reaction as I nearly burst out:

"I just wanted to say… yes. I'll go out with you."

Naruto's face lit up with joy as he smiled a toothy grin.

"That's… that's great!" Naruto grabbed my hand as soon as that was said. "I have something to show you!"

He began dragging me down the street until we found a small park-like area.

"This is where I used to practice my Shadow Clone Jutsu… but since I've mastered it, I don't have to do it anymore. Since then, this is a great place for… I dunno… a picnic?"

His eyes captured me.

I felt my cheeks heat up when he started rubbing my hand.

"Yes, of course!" I exclaimed.

Naruto started rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe we could invite some other people?"

I smiled, thinking about how nervous he must be about thinking that this was some sort of date.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Fun, too."

"Hmm…" Naruto was pacing. "Who should we invite…? Oh, I got it! Hinata, Shik, Temari… uh, Choji if he DOESN'T EAT ALL OF THE FOOD, Lee, and Sakura… maybe if Kiba's well enough to hang with us…"

Instantly, my world stopped when Naruto mentioned Kiba.

_"Why can't he just... disappear?!"_

Trying not to skip a beat, I continued:

"And we won't just eat… we'll have some bonding time! But if we're going to… then we better get everyone quickly!"

Naruto froze in his steps.

"Yes! Ok… let's start with Hinata! Her house is closest to here."

He grasped my hand tightly.

"Once we get her, then you two can go around gathering people up, and I'll get all of the stuff! Don't worry, I've got money!"

We fled down the street as my thoughts began to wander.

_"...I hope Naruto can, somehow, make me feel the same way... Kiba... used to..."_

Naruto dragged me all the way to a mansion while I was lost in my thoughts.

When I looked up to see this gigantic freaking building, I gasped:

"I thought you said she had a _house,_ Naruto…"

He only laughed at my reaction. "Yeah, well…"

Without wasting any time, Naruto rang the doorbell and a familiar face stuck out.

"What do _you_ want, Naruto?"

Neji Hyuga, Hinata's cousin, growled from behind the door. He looked just as pissy as always, in my opinion.

"Get outta here, Neji," Naruto just snorted. "I need to talk to Hinata."

Neji huffed, and looked back into the house.

"It's for you."

He walked away from the door and Hinata replaced him.

"Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Hinata! Do you want to have a picnic with all of our friends?!" Naruto smiled widely.

She nearly jumped out of the door to stand with us.

"I would _love_ to!"

"Ok, then you can go with Neko to pick everyone else up! I have to go get the food and stuff!"

Naruto ran off, and I asked:

"Who should we pick up first?"

Hinata looked thoughtful as she smiled.

"We should go and see if Kiba is able to! Then, we'll go see Shikamaru, and he can help us, too."

"Sound great," I replied as the two of us walked, side by side, to Kiba's house.

_"My reply sounded so fake..." _I thought.

Still, I couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous of Hinata; _"What does she have that I don't? That's all I wanna know…"_

It bothered me why Kiba would choose her. I wanted to know why.

It took us no time at all to get to Kiba's house, where a girl was outside sitting down on a porch.

It was the same girl that Hinata had talked to the day before, and Hinata waved to her.

"Hi, Hana! Is Kiba well enough to come to a picnic with us?"

The girl, Hana, just smiled back politely as she stood up.

"I think so. You two could come to the house to check it out."

She surveyed Talon and I for only a moment before leading the two of us into the house.

Hana opened the door, and a large, wolf-like dog was sitting on the couch.

Talon automatically froze on her perch on my shoulder as I whispered. "Calm down."

Though, in reality, I was just as scared as she was.

The dog growled at the two of us, and I muttered:

"Uh… I'll just stay out here."

Hinata smiled kindly at me.

"I'm sure they'll understand."

The door closed, and I sat down on the porch, waiting for Hinata to come back out.

_"How can he live with so many dogs?"_

**Kiba's POV**

I was pumped up; it was like I suddenly got the determination that I needed to get through my life, and I was happy about it.

_"Ok… so today will be the day that I finally decide what I'm going to do. Hopefully, nothing has changed in the last week… but I'll be out of this house in no time. In fact, I actually cared to get dressed early, and I feel GREAT!" _

I could almost roar with excitement and happiness at the thought of seeing my friends after such a long time, and maybe possibly talking to Neko for the first time in what seemed like forever.

_"...Is love the appropriate word to use? I think so. How long have I been ignoring the feelings I felt for her? Longer than I think I have. More than four months. Naruto says anything more than four months is love. Maybe he's right."_

As I contemplated the thought of falling in love with Neko, I wandered out to the bathroom.

Staring into my own eyes as I combed my fingers through my hair, I smirked.

_"Maybe I do love her."_

Winking at myself, I began to brush my teeth. They became sharp and shiny, just the way I like them, when I heard a sudden noise in the house; Kuromaru growling.

_"Someone must be at the door..."_ I concluded as I raced down the steps after taking one last look at myself.

Hana was standing there with Hinata, looking happy that my friends still bothered with me after all this time.

_"Hinata, huh?"_

When Hinata saw me, her eyes lit up as she ran up to me.

"Kiba! Do you want to come to a picnic?!"

I felt my eyebrows furrow; it sounded fun.

_"It's been a hell of a while since I've done anything FUN."_

"Heh, sure, Hinata!"

She latched onto my arm and dragged me toward the door, Akamaru on my heels barking at me.

_"Today's the day!"_

I looked back briefly at him, and then to my sister.

Hana called after us. "Have fun!"

I caught her eyes and mouthed: _"This isn't the girl,"_ to her.

She understood me as she nodded and went into the kitchen.

Once outside, a scent hit my nose that was the most beautiful thing I had ever smelled.

_"Neko? No… there's no way… I'm not mentally prepared yet..."_

Sure enough, Neko was standing right in front of me.

I took in her scent, and her clothes; she was more beautiful to me than ever before. I almost couldn't tear my eyes off of her and the cat on her shoulder.

_"Fuck my feelings. Can't they just fuck off and listen to my head?! I can't love her. I CAN'T."_

Biting my lip, I turned away from her wide, gray eyes.

Hinata dragged me off of my porch.

"C'mon; we still have a lot of people to go and get!"

Her ecstatic behavior was so much different from the last time I had talked to her.

_"Hinata sure has gotten a lot more… talkative. I wonder what else has changed…"_

Giving into my feelings, I turned and saw that Neko was walking behind the two of us, looking at Talon like she was crazy.

_"I can't stop staring at her… she looks beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remember…" _

I forced myself to turn forward and answered Hinata: "Ok, so who do we pick up next?"

Akamaru was walking next to Neko, I noticed out of the corner of my eye.

_"Little bastard."_

How come _he_ could walk next to her and I couldn't? Now he was purposely screwing with me.

I couldn't even explain my sudden jealousy when I heard Akamaru bark something about being glad to see her again.

_"Tch. He has no idea."_

Hinata was about to answer the question I asked, but I heard Neko's beautiful voice scar the air.

"You guys can go find Naruto; I'll get everyone else."

Without another word, she pushed past me and fled down the road back to central Konoha, faster than I had ever seen her go.

_"She's hurt."_

Biting my lip again, I forced myself to have a conversation with Hinata and put on a mask that would hide my desire to chase down Neko and beg her to tell me what was wrong.

I wanted to tell her I would fix her heart... but I couldn't.

I was the one who broke it, after all.

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing her with him was horrible enough back when we were still completing our mission, but now… it was hell.

My heart just burned at the thought of him being with anyone besides me.

_"I thought I might be able to do it; to get over him, but it's too hard. How long have I felt this way about him? How long? How long have I waited for him to accept me and want me in the same way I've wanted him? Too long. Naruto… why can't I feel this way about HIM?! I know... maybe if I hang out with him even more, then I'll be able to forget about Kiba... yeah, that's gotta be it!"_

I hadn't even noticed I had run through half the streets, wherever my feet would take me, and they had carried me toward Shikamaru's house.

Running even faster now, I burst through the door to find Temari chilling out on the couch, as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" She asked me.

That sentence alone nearly made me burst into tears and I _knew_ it.

I was nearly out of breath and almost in tears as I asked hurriedly:

"W-would you and Shika want to… come to a picnic?"

Temari's eyebrows went up as she answered me, getting up from her spot on the couch.

"It sounds like fun, but I have to go back to Suna and visit my idiot brother and my Kazekage brother…"

I just nodded feeling numb, and Temari continued on with a statement I would rather not hear.

"Shika said that he wanted to come with me."

"That's fine," I said, quickly.

_"I can't show her how much pain I'm in right now."_

Trying desperately to hide the tears that were threatening to burst out of my eyes, and I ran out of the house to find only Naruto standing there with multiple baskets of food and shit in his arms.

"Neko, where are-"

His blue eyes, blonde hair... everything about him, it made me break down in tears right there.

I don't know why, and I don't know how, but I started to cry.

_"Why can't I feel this way about HIM? He's liked me for as long as I can remember..."_

Naruto dropped everything in his hands and hugged me tightly as my head fell onto his chest.

"Whatever it is, Neko," he whispered. "It's gonna be ok. I promise."

I felt my tears come even more as my thoughts said what my mouth couldn't:

_"Those words aren't the same coming from you..."_

**Kiba's POV**

After Neko had disappeared, I couldn't get her out of my mind, or un-see the face that had only gotten more beautiful as time had gone by.

_"What's wrong with me? Like, seriously..."_

Hinata dragged me along as we looked for Naruto, but only managed to pick more people up along the way.

Choji, Lee, and Sakura were now following us as we went through the streets, looking for him.

_"That idiot... what, is he playing hide-n-seek or some shit?"_

Suddenly, Hinata pointed a finger toward Shikamaru's house.

"There he is. He's with Neko…"

The mentioning of her name got my attention as my eyes suddenly flicked to where Neko was in Naruto's arms, and she looked like she was upset.

It took all of my energy not to run to her and take her into _my_ arms. _I_ wanted to be that guy. Naruto, that is.

Shaking me from my thoughts, Sakura waved and called: "Hey, Naruto! We're all ready for the picnic!"

Faintly, I heard Neko murmur to Naruto; "Just a sec, go on without me.." and she speed into Shikamaru's house.

Naruto began picking all of the stuff up that he had had in his hands before, as he sighed.

"Alright… well… let's go."

We began walking toward the park that Naruto had talked about and Hinata commented, as she, Naruto, and I fell behind the group.

"You and Neko seem pretty close these days."

My teeth ground together at the thought.

_"Tch."_

Naruto smirked now, seeming to be snapped out of his thoughts as well.

"Well, considering she's my _girlfriend_…"

Hinata cupped her hand over her mouth. "No way! Congratulations!"

As it was said, I felt the world ahead of me slur a bit as I took in what Naruto had just said.

_"No… there's no way… he's kidding us. He's gotta be kidding us…"_

Choji heard what Naruto had said and commented as he turned around.

"That's awesome! Somehow, I _knew_ you two would end up together."

Still dumbfounded and winded, I only half snorted to myself:

_"Tch. As if he knew. As if Naruto should be anywhere NEAR her… she's mine. I PROMISED Hana that I'd get her back… and I'm going to do it, no matter what the hell it takes."_

Hinata looked up at me, snapping me from my thoughts once again.

"Don't you think they're just the cutest couple ever?"

I almost couldn't answer as I fought to swallow my rage.

"Yeah…" was all I could end up managing.

We finally reached the park, where Naruto set out the picnic blankets.

"Ok… now, I guess it's time to… eat up!"

Lee saluted Naruto and smiled one of his shiny smiles.

"Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! We all shall get to know each other on different terms!"

Naruto tossed each person a basket, and saved one for himself, and patiently waited while everyone else began to eat and socialize.

I couldn't help but glare at the blonde knucklehead as I growled in my mind:

_"Who the hell does he think he is?! Tch. As if she'd ever consider STAYING with someone like him… he'll never love her as much as I do…"_

I turned away from Naruto and met Hinata's happy smile.

"Kiba, can I eat with you?" She asked me, her white eyes shining.

"Of course, Hinata." I said, noticing that I sounded calmer than I felt.

Suddenly, Neko came running through the park, Talon at her heels.

Akamaru, seated next to me, wagged his tail at the sight of her, but suddenly stopped when he saw the frantic look in her eyes.

I noticed this as well; she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

The thought of _that_, of course, made me want to hug her and ask her what the hell was the matter and whose ass I had to kick.

Though, I kinda knew that if I asked her that, it'd probably be my ass that I'd kick.

_"I would give ANYTHING to be able to tell you I'm sorry."_

Biting my lip, I watched Naruto stand up and make his way over to her.

As if he had heard my thoughts about talking to her and apologizing, he put his arms around her, which made me growl for a moment.

"What's the matter?" Naruto whispered to Neko, loud enough for me to hear.

Neko must have been freaking out over something pretty serious, judging by the way her eyes were widened in what looked like fear and nervousness, but Naruto just smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry; you can stay with me. It's ok."

I gritted my teeth silently as he hugged her and led her over to where everyone was, and the two sat down next to each other and quietly began to eat.

_"I can't believe I screwed up. Why can't I be the one... be the one making her feel like nothing is ever going to hurt her in her life? Why can't that guy, Naruto... why can't I be him?"_

To be completely honest, I hadn't noticed I had been watching Neko until Hinata shook me and whispered in my ear.

"What's up? Did you and Naruto get into a fight or something?"

"No," I said, tearing my eyes away from the one person I loved. "Nothing's wrong, I just spaced for a moment, that's all."

_"I've gotta stop thinking about that word..."_

I had been practicing saying 'I love you' to myself in the mirror a couple days after we had gotten back to the village.

That's how I'm quite sure I love her; because I imagined my face being hers... and I could feel my heart beating really fast, even though she wasn't even there.

I smiled at Hinata, trying to reassure her that I was completely okay, but I wasn't so sure that the smile I gave her was convincing enough. It must have been, though, because she just held onto my arm again without saying anything.

_"Why can't I feel the way I feel with Neko... with Hinata? Wouldn't it just be easier that way?! Stupid ass heart... stupid ass brain... stupid ass me..."_

The picnic continued in peace, as I cursed myself out until I couldn't think of anything else to call myself.

Suddenly, Sakura proposed something:

"I have an idea… why don't we all play truth or dare?"

"I'm in."

"Sounds like fun."

"Good job with the team bonding, Sakura!"

People were agreeing left and right, and so Choji grabbed a bottle that was laying at the side of the sidewalk we were sitting by as everyone formed a circle.

Hinata was now holding my hand instead of my arm, and I couldn't help but notice that Neko was holding Naruto's hand as he sat down next to her.

_"Tch."_ I tried to look away, but my eyes continued to wander to their conjoined hands as I felt my throat burn with anger.

Choji snapped me out of it as he spun. "Whoever it lands on has to go first."

After a long, suspensful moment, it landed on Sakura as he asked: "Ok… truth or dare?"

"Hmm…" Sakura thought about it for a second, tapping a finger to her lips. "Dare."

"I dare you… to go roll around in the grass and pretend you're a dog."

Everyone's eyebrows raised and Choji shrugged. "What?! _I_ had to do it once…"

Sakura sighed, went over a ways away from everyone else, and began rolling around, barking and shit.

This sparked a reaction from the group that was much like laughter and happiness, and random around Sakura gave her looks. Honestly, I couldn't help but smirk a little.

When she came back over to s, she was brushing grass out of her pink hair.

"Ok… now it's my turn."

She spun the bottle, and it landed on… none other than… me.

I sighed as the pinkette asked the inevitable question; "Truth or dare?"

I took a moment to think everything over; if I chose dare, I might look so ridiculously stupid that neither Neko _nor_ Hinata would like me at _all_ anymore, or maybe I'd have to kiss someone, which was the _last_ thing I wanted to do.

But... if I picked truth… then all I'd have to do was answer a question.

"Truth," I sighed; I couldn't get screwed over by this question. I was going to answer it no matter what the hell it was.

Though, perhaps I had spoken too soon.

Sakura had glanced around the park at everyone who was sitting in the circle, then turned to me and asked the craziest, most inevitable question...

"Do you… like Hinata? As in… more than a friend?"

"_Oh. No. She. Didn't." _

I heard my conscience growl. My train of thought was absolutely blank as time seemed to slow down; I did _not_ like Hinata more than a friend. At least... I don't think I did...

However, I said that, it'd probably kill her on the inside, and I would _never_ do what I did to Neko to anyone else.

Though if I said yes… I _had_ to say yes.

_"This must have been what Hana was talking about! If I say yes, and maybe I ask her out later, then maybe I'll be able to forget about Neko and I'll move on like she did!"_

I don't know why the hell I thought something as rash and crazy as that right there, but maybe it was crazy enough that it just might work.

_"She has Naruto, right? Then why the hell shouldn't I move on?"_

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping what I was about to say wouldn't ruin my life once again as I whispered:

"Yeah."

* * *

Ok, yeah, I admit, I kinda pulled stuff out of my ass on this one, but it'll get better. I can totally promise! Hoping that everyone kinda likes this story, because I'm looking forward to writing more in the future! Rate/Review!

10/5/12: Took a break from editing, but guess who is back?! Yeah, that's right. Rate/Review! Didn't get too much of Neko in here... sorry! D:


	24. Jealousy

_Flashback:_

_I don't know why the hell I thought something as rash and crazy as that right there, but maybe it was crazy enough that it just might work._

_"She has Naruto, right? Then why the hell shouldn't I move on?"_

_I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping what I was about to say wouldn't ruin my life once again as I whispered:_

_"Yeah."_

Chapter 24: Jealousy

**Neko's POV**

As soon as I heard that word come out of Kiba's mouth, I _instantly_ felt myself bite my lip; even though I knew it the whole time, it hurt for it to actually be said.

_"It's not like you didn't already know this… so why are you so upset?!"_ I asked myself, but I knew the answer.

This pain that I felt... I could still feel his body pressed up against mine. I can't explain it... but it hurt.

_"Why do I like him so much?"_

A little voice corrected a certain word in my thoughts, but... no, no, that couldn't be it.

_"I don't LOVE him... right? I'm just screwing with myself. Yeah, that's right! Screwing with myself. It's bull."_

Little did I know, Naruto was looking down at me, and when I looked up at him, I could see his eyes had nothing other than concern for me as he whispered low enough that only I could hear it: "What's up?"

I whispered back, trying to evade spilling out all of my problems at this time.

"Nothing, I'm just nervous… it feels wrong staying in Konoha without Shika."

It wasn't exactly a lie... but it wasn't what I was thinking about at the moment.

Naruto just sighed. "It won't be for long; I bet Shik feels the same way."

Nodding as he looked away from me, I felt only a jolt of even more pain as I looked up in time to see Hinata smiling up at Kiba, and vice-versa.

_"I can't do this… it doesn't feel all that great… I feel like I'm about to fall apart..."_

As the truth or dare game kept going on, slowly but surely, I finally decided that it really wasn't healthy for me to go through all of this suffering and not be able to show it.

Slowly, I got up, whispering to Naruto in the process:

"I'm going to go and get all of my stuff ready to put into your flat."

Naruto nodded, his eyes shadowed with multiple emotions, as he watched me walk away, with Talon in tow.

_"I'm sorry, Naruto... I'll try. I'll try to feel the same way I feel about him about you..."_

**Kiba's POV**

I looked down at Hinata's bright and shining face as she stared up at me after I had just publicly told her that I liked her more than a friend should.

_"Maybe after this game… I'll ask her out! Then, I'll have moved on, and I'll forget about HER!"_ I smiled, and I looked up to see Naruto let Neko go as she ran out of the park with her stupid cat.

"Where is she going?" asked Sakura, still combing grass out of her hair.

Naruto turned to her, his blue eyes looking conflicted as if he had no idea what exactly he should be feeling at the moment.

"Oh… she's doing something… important. She'll be back..."

Choji was eating his personal favorite, BBQ chips, as he asked:

"Weren't Temari and Shikamaru going to Suna to visit her brothers? Is _that_ why she seems so upset today?"

Naruto just looked down at the ground and sighed, wiping his hair out of his eyes. "Maybe so."

"_The hell is his problem?"_ I growled inwardly as I stared at his distraught face. _"He has everything he ever wanted… Neko... so what the hell is up with his mood?"_

Lee gave the good guy pose in Naruto's direction as he smiled. "Whatever is the matter, I am sure that all will be ok!"

This made Naruto brighten up a bit as he smiled back. "I'm sure it will, Bushy Brows!"

Sakura just sighed and face-palmed. "You guys are so weird."

I couldn't help but glance to where Neko had disappeared as I bit my lip.

_"Well, I guess what Choji said answers my question… but… it seemed like it was more than that."_

I pondered on this for a moment until Naruto stood up, dusting himself off.

"Well… what do you guys think we should do now?"

Everyone thought on this for a second, and Sakura finally said: "We should all go train."

Naruto smiled again.

"Sakura! That's a great idea! I'd _love _to!"

That word... the way Naruto said it... it hit me with force, and my hand flew up to where my heart was, but I hadn't made enough noise to make anyone ask me what the matter was.

"_So I guess it still hurts; that word and Neko in the same sentence... I hope I'll be able to get over her..."_

I commented to myself, but I stayed calm as everyone got up and headed to the training field, with the left-over food.

**Neko's POV**

I ran, almost blindly, to Shikamaru's house; I had almost burst into tears and I _knew_ it, even though I had promised myself the day that everything had gone wrong that I wouldn't cry about it anymore.

_"I'm such a liar. I'm such an idiot."_

I proved not to be true to my words; I had let it all out as soon as I couldn't see the park behind me anymore, as I headed toward the only safe haven I knew of.

_"Why can't we be real?! Kiba and I. We could have been together. I know we would have. The knot in my stomach hasn't gone away since he... did that... I miss him. A lot."_

Once inside, I collapsed by the door, breathing heavily and feeling the tears running freely down my cheeks and onto my clothes.

Almost as soon as I had done so, Shikamaru had come running from another room.

"What's-" but as soon as he saw me crying, he ran up to me, fear in his eyes. "What's the matter? What happened?"

"N-nothing…" was all I could manage before nearly bursting into tears again.

He was hugging me now.

"Who made you cry?" He asked, softly.

"No one…" I whimpered back.

_"I made myself cry. I know it..."_

Shikamaru pulled back and stared into my eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie.

Then, he pulled away, sighing. "I think I know who."

"No!" I gasped. "No one made me c-cry!"

Shikamaru just stared at me, and then asked again: "Then… why are you crying?"

I was now out of tears to cry with as I struggled to answer that question.

_"I was crying BECAUSE of someone… not because they made me cry."_

I looked up at him as I watched Talon paw at his feet.

"I'm-I'm fine. It was… it was a spur of the moment type of th-thing."

My stutter came back as my tears began to retreat back to my heart.

Shikamaru just stared at me, again trying to see if I was lying in any way, but sighed yet again. "Fine. Don't tell me."

He began to walk away, sauntering like always, and I stammered: "W-wait...!"

Shikamaru turned, a smirk present on his face. "Yes?"

This particular smirk was familiar; I saw quite a bit of it when Shikamaru was being mischievous, which wasn't very often.

"I-it's… confirmed..." I choked out.

_"Stop stuttering!"_ I begged myself, but I knew it'd take awhile for the stutter to go away after I cried.

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at me.

"What's confirmed?"

I took a deep breath; it was one thing hearing it, but it was another thing repeating it.

"He… he l-likes her. More th-than a f-friend."

I almost growled at myself when I heard myself stutter _again_, but I knew I couldn't help it when another tear rolled down my cheek.

It hurt just _thinking_ about them together, so saying it was as if I had been _killed_ right then.

Shikamaru's eyes went from interested to bored in barely more than a moment.

"And you care why?" He asked me, his eyebrows not even furrowing as he asked the question.

"I-I don't!" I tried to defend myself, though I could tell I was lying.

"Obviously, you do," Shikamaru smirked again, seeing through my lies as well. "Because if you didn't… would you have been crying your eyes out just now?"

I hung my head, defeated, but Talon started meowing at Shikamaru that she wanted to be fed.

"What, you stupid cat?" Shikamaru growled, obviously fed up with her, but soon regretted it when Talon slashed at his leg, causing a bit of blood to well out of the wound.

I smiled when I saw my chance.

"S-she asked you if we could s-stay at N-Naruto's until you and T-Temari get back from Suna…"

I still couldn't help my stuttering; it was normal for me to do that right after I had finished crying, and it would probably go on for a few more minutes, but I still hated to feel as vulnerable as I did right at that second.

Shikamaru glared down at Talon, but looked back at me in less than a moment.

"Yeah, of course. He's among one of my most trusted colleagues, no matter how… Naruto-ish… he is."

I couldn't help but smile at that. It was true, right?

"W-well, I'm gonna go and… pack."

Without another word, I hurried upstairs to my room, where I grabbed about half of my clothes, my hairbrush, and some food for Talon.

Then, I rushed around and grabbed my toothbrush, but I stared at the twin blades hanging on my wall.

My treasures.

I rubbed them. "Sorry… you'll have to stay here."

Once I had gotten everything that I needed and double... triple checked, I grabbed a suitcase from Shikamaru's room, which was just down the hall, and stuffed _everything_ into it.

Personally, I was surprised that everything could fit into _one_ suitcase, but I left it in my room.

_"I'll get it when I have to go over there… I believe that's tonight. Better say goodbye to Shika before he leaves!"_

I ran down the steps to where Temari and Shikamaru were having a pretty heated conversation:

"Don't be an _idiot_, Shika; you don't know what it's _like_ to be a girl who just lost the guy she's been chasing since she's known him!" Temari fired at him, rage present in her gesture-making hands.

_"How did she know...?"_ I felt my cheeks heat up at the memory of the way my heart had always secretly jumped in my chest when I saw him, no matter how mad he used to get at me.

"Well," Shikamaru growled, obviously irritated at what Temari had just said. "I may not know what that's like, considering I'm a guy, but I can at least _try _to help! It's all that I _can_ do, according to _you_!"

"Hey," I intervened in the conversation, making both stiffen and turn to me, giving me a guarded look.

"I just wanted to say… I'm going to miss both of you when you two leave!"

As I desperately tried to change the subject, I hugged Temari and Shikamaru in turn, and Temari glared at him.

"I'll miss you, too. Don't get in too deep with any guy you're not sure about..." then, she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and gave a sly smirk. "If you know what I mean."

Shikamaru's calm face suddenly went from irritated to angry. "You better not 'get in' at _all_ with _any_ guy." He snorted, putting his arms behind his head in a care-free way.

I smiled at Temari as she smiled back at me and walked out of the door.

"Troublesome woman..." Shikamaru muttered, but I hugged him, preventing him from saying anything else.

"I'll miss you," I whispered.

Surprisingly, he hugged me back.

"Calm down, kid; it's only a week. Yeah, I'll miss you, too, but if anything overly important happens and you absolutely _need_ someone to talk to… talk to Choji. He's my best friend, so I bet he'll even be willing to share his chips with you. Here's the keys to the house,"

He handed me a key ring with one key… ironic… and continued; "Don't be afraid to tell others how you're feeling. It helps, sometimes."

Without another word, Shikamaru walked out the door, following Temari, who was obviously still angry with him, and they walked down the street, until they were gone.

I bit my lip.

_"Either this week is going to be easy and care-free... or it'll be hell."_

**Kiba's POV**

"…Naruto, you're an idiot. Why would Neko stay with _you_? You'll probably end up scarring her for life or something!"

Sakura was ranting at Naruto after he had been forced to tell the whole crew why Neko had been running off so much that day.

"Sakura, don't hate. I won't corrupt her mind or anything… she's afraid of being alone. You don't understand."

His eyes went from normal to disheartened in a second.

"_He probably WILL scar her for life! I don't trust him with her life, THAT'S for sure…"_

I fumed to myself, feeling anger nearly choke me as I glared at him from the corner of my eye.

Hinata was hanging onto my arm, with steered me from my angry thoughts as I realized that I couldn't really think of a time that was good enough to ask her out.

_"I can't wait to see the look on her face! She'll be so happy!" _Without even knowing it, I smiled to myself.

Suddenly, the thought of Neko plagued my mind once again.

_"Shit." _

I growled, cursing myself out at how stupid I could have been to fuck up in the _first_ place, but I soon recovered when I saw Neko run out of Shikamaru's house, which wasn't too far away from where we were, in a totally and completely feverish way.

The way her eyes were and how she wiped them as soon as she saw us, I knew she had been crying.

Like normal, my heart tightened when I realized... I was the reason for that.

Naruto almost jumped to her when we reached her.

"Neko… what's up?" He smiled at her, but this smile was laced with hidden meaning that I couldn't quite understand.

Talon was on her shoulder, and I couldn't help but notice how Neko looked tired, like she had just gotten done sleeping.

"Nothing… uh, where are you guys heading?"

Her voice sounded dry, like she had been crying.

_"What am I doing that's making her feel like this?! Whatever the hell it is, I've gotta stop. I've gotta let her go."_

I felt something move in my chest, though I took no note of it as I noticed how she was purposely avoiding my gaze.

_"She's gotta feel it, too. She's gotta know how much I'd love to have her..."_

Despite what I told myself about being with Hinata, I desperately tried to get Neko to mentally see how much I needed her.

She didn't seem to hear me, or didn't seem to care as she listened to Naruto intently.

The orange one only smiled widely at her. "We were going to go train. Wanna come?"

Poor Neko; it looked as if she tried to smile, but it was as if something was holding her back.

When all she did was nod, I couldn't do anything other than stop myself from snorting aloud, just in case someone called him out on it.

_"Fucking Naruto has no idea how to treat her when she feels like this..."_

Jealousy was all that I _could_ feel at this point.

Choji was still eating his chips as we walked down the road toward the training area. He was also the first person to strike up a conversation:

"So… Shikamaru must already be on his way with Temari. What'd he call her this time?"

The question seemed to be directed at Neko as she turned and smiled at Choji, as if nothing had ever happened between the two of us.

"Can you guess?"

Choji smirked, pausing from eating. "Troublesome woman?"

Neko laughed that laugh that always made my knees go weak, and today was no different.

"You got it!"

Naruto's facial expression had almost completely changed from unhappy to life-couldn't-get-any-better, and I couldn't help but feel more than a twinge of jealousy.

_"Humph… it's not like I care. I've moved on, and maybe it'll be better than she ever could have been. Thanks, Hana. I may have promised you that I was getting her back, but… maybe this is the chance for a new opportunity. And maybe... she'll forget about me, too."_

As soon as I thought that, though, I took it back.

_"No... I never want her to forget me... at least... I don't think I do... ah, what's wrong with me?!"_

I didn't know someone could feel so many emotions at one time as I plunged into the turmoil that was once my own mind.

Once I snapped out of it, I watched as Neko took Naruto's hand and he squeezed it tightly, making the two exchange glances in a way I would rather forget.

Lee was running around in circles, thinking aloud:

"Maybe we should invite Gai-sensei! He would be so proud and honored to work with us! After this, I should run 500 laps around the training field…"

Sakura sighed and looked at Naruto and Neko's conjoined hands, making Hinata ask her: "What's the matter, Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that Hinata had been listening to her and she shrugged.

"Oh, nothing… just… reminiscing."

"About what?" Hinata pressed on.

Sakura looked like she had taken a big gulp of air, but she whispered a word... more specifically, a name... that I hadn't heard in awhile.

"About… back when Sasuke was in the village."

The mentioning of his name made Naruto's head whip around, and all I could see was the anger and betrayal in his eyes.

"Don't speak about him here, Sakura." He warned, his blue eyes turning into flame.

Sakura's eyes became more miserable than they already were.

"I try not to… but some days… it hurts."

Hinata let go of my arm to give Sakura a much-needed hug, and Naruto just sighed and turned his head forward without speaking.

Without thinking about it, my eyes wandered to the girl beside him as I stifled a sigh and hung my head.

_"It's either left or right at this point... what the hell... She's got him, I've got her. Fuck it. Fuck it all. I'll move on if it's the last thing I do."_

With that, I began planning. Planning for Hinata's best surprise yet.

**Neko's POV**

"_I've heard a lot about Sasuke as long as I've been here, and he sounds like someone who won't take any shit. I like that in people, but considering he betrayed the village… I don't think I'd like to have known him."_

I thought as I saw the misery and hurt on Naruto's face.

_"They were like siblings… I bet it hurt to just lose him like that."_

Biting my lip, I remembered Ryu and how we were... siblings, I guess. I don't know what made me think of him, but the thought was fleeting as I reached out to touch Naruto's hand.

"It's ok, Naruto." I whispered, loud enough for only him to hear. "I'm sorry."

Talon was glaring at him as she pawed at his hair.

I felt a light-hearted smile play on my lips.

"She wants to play, but it's not play time right now." Without thinking about it, I glared at Talon and sighed.

Naruto just looked back at me with the same expression on his face.

"It isn't ok. I'd give _anything_ to have him back in the village. He was… my best friend."

He looked into the distance, as if he was thinking about all of the good times they must have had together, and I held onto his hand and squeezed it.

"If there's anything I can do to help… tell me."

I gave a weak smile; I knew all too well that pity doesn't help the people who felt the pain in situations like this. He smiled at me, though, and murmured:

"Thank you."

Within moments, he slowed down until we were at the back of the group... and he leaned over and kissed me. Right on the lips.

I wouldn't say the kiss was long or possessive... but it was one of those 'thank you' kisses.

As soon as we pulled away, I could see a gaze on my face. I locked eyes with him. Someone that I'd rather not lock eyes with. Not anymore.

Once we locked eyes... I felt instant sadness.

_"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."_

I felt blood touch my tongue as my teeth dug into it and I fought back the tears that Naruto had made me get in my eyes.

The person I was gazing at... I knew. I knew the pain he felt at seeing Naruto and I together. It was the same pain I felt when I saw him and her together.

That would not stop me.

No matter how much my heart kept telling my head that I loved him.

No.

_"Naruto has taken the spot that you threw away. Maybe if... if... you had..."_

I paused my thought to wipe away tears.

_"Maybe if you had actually cared enough to tell me... why... why you chose her instead..."_

A sound escaped my lips as Naruto held my hand closer to him.

"Neko... it's ok. I'm sorry you had to see me like that... but it's training time. It'll be ok. I'm sorry if I made you cry."

That last sentence was enough to stop my tears altogether.

_"It... it sounds just like..."_

My eyes shot forward to the man who was walking a few yards in front of us.

His head was hung, but I couldn't say exactly why... as the girl I wished I could be hugged him tightly.

_"If you don't want to make me that girl... then I don't want to make you this man!"_

My gaze shot to Naruto as he smiled at me and walked closer to me.

No matter how strong I had made myself seem in my thoughts... if he looked at me again, my heart might just break all over again.

**Kiba's POV**

I watched it happen.

No pain could ever be greater than what I have just witnessed.

_"It's all Genjutsu. No... I'm in hell. There's no way..."_

But when they broke away from each other, Neko stared at me.

Through me.

_"I hope she can see my heart... it's torn now."_

Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty tough and strong guy... but when I watched the girl of my dreams... I don't know... I felt tears start to build in my eyes.

As if she could feel it too, she buried her face in her hands.

I forced myself to turn around and not look at her, because I knew if I looked any longer...

I'd run to her.

I'd take her from him.

I'd be everything that she thinks he can be and even more than that.

_"Damn straight."_

On top of that, watching her cry tears me apart.

It hurts me.

I could hear Naruto comforting her and telling her things I could have easily said much better... and her crying suddenly stopped.

_"Why can't I be the one who makes her stop crying? Why does that have to be him?"_

My neck lowered my head enough so my chin was touching my collarbone.

Not only did I feel these stupid tears coming up into my throat, but unexplainable anger was engulfing me.

I wanted him to die so I could take his place.

_"I'll just think of a plan. Yeah, plan. That way... heh, I'll make his death look like an accident."_

Smirking, I lifted my head up as I swallowed back the lump in my throat, then Hinata touched my arm.

"Kiba..."

She said my name almost shyly, as I felt cruise-control take over.

"Huh?"

"Um... do... do you want to train with me?"

I could see the nervousness in her eyes.

_"She thinks I'll say no..."_

"Of course!"

A smile lit up my face.

_"How does that even happen at this point in time?!"_

Without thinking about it, I glanced back at our _favorite_ couple and almost growled when I saw how close he was holding her.

_"Hold her while you can, asshole."_

I don't know what part of my brain was drinking that day... so I ignored myself and focused on making Neko jealous of Hinata and I.

Smirking once more, I slung my arm around her shoulders without thinking about it.

I could literally _feel_ the heat coming off of her face at this gesture.

"K-Kiba..." She said my name again and I smiled.

_"Maybe I could get used to this. If she wants to be happy, she can be happy. Fuck making her jealous... I'll just make Hinata and I happy."_

Today... I was indescisive. I don't know why, but I also always changed my mind frequently today...

_"I guess I'll just... I'll just try NOT to change my mind so often..."_

I heard Neko's golden giggle sound behind me, followed by Naruto's laughter.

"You know... I really like your laugh."

"Why is that?"

Neko's voice... I can't explain it... it made me feel... so empowered. Even when she wasn't talking to me. The sound of her voice made me think I can do anything.

"Because," Naruto continued. "It makes my day better than it already was."

"Aww..." I heard Sakura from in front of me. "What a great couple."

_"Take it back, Sakura..."_ I mentally threatened her as Hinata squeezed my arm again.

I shrugged. Not if I could help it.

Our group neared the training field and broke apart in different teams; Neko and Naruto went to a far corner, Lee and Sakura went to another corner, Choji sat down and started eating more chips… and that left Hinata and I in another corner.

"_This is my chance." _I told myself with a smirk on my face.

Hinata sighed as we walked around the area we were in.

"I don't really feel like training. We _just_ got done eating." She looked kinda stressed as she said this.

I flopped down on the ground, Akamaru now lying next to me.

"I agree. But… I have a question, Hinata."

_"Here goes."_

She looked at me like she was confused, then asked:

"What is it?"

I took a deep breath.

"Hinata, will you go out with me?"

I watched as her cheeks went from their normal faint blush to blood red.

"O-oh… y-yes, of course! T-thanks for a-asking!"

I chuckled and thought to myself:

_"Her stutter came back… that's cute."_

That thought made me want to punch myself... but I ignored myself once again.

She tried to cover up her blush with her hands.

"I-I better go t-tell S-Sakura!" And she ran over to where the pinkette and Lee were throwing a few warm-up punches.

Akamaru was glaring at me when I looked down and I asked:

"What's up, boy?"

Akamaru huffed. _"The hell was that?"_

I felt my eyebrows knit in confusion.

"What was what? I asked her out… and she said yes. I'm moving on, buddy."

Akamaru growled back at me.

_"I thought you said that you'd stop at NOTHING to get Neko back… don't you care about her? Do you care about what she's probably feeling right now?" _

Honestly, that one struck a nerve, but I ignored it as I growled:

"Now you're just being ridiculous. It's not like she would give a shit about me when she's got Mr. Orange Idiot Hokage over there kissing her instead of me."

Akamaru howled, a smirk on his face.

_"Oh… so you're JEALOUS! Ok, I understand now. Fine, you can go out with Hinata and all, but when you finally realize that your feelings aren't going to change, Neko will definitely be long gone." _

I growled, about to snarl back a response, but I felt a presence near me.

"Uh… so… I heard from a little bird that you're going out with… Hinata…"

I looked up, to find none other than Neko being the one speaking to me.

My heart skipped a beat when I met her eyes.

_"Why the hell did I ask Hinata to be my girlfriend when I clearly love Neko?"_

* * *

Kind of intense… Kiba's emotions are supposed to be confusing, because he's confused himself! Rate/Review… getting a bit discouraged over here… D:

10/10/12: TODAY IS NONE OTHER THAN THE ORANGE SPARK OF THE LEAF'S BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NARUTO UZUMAKI! BELIEVE IT! Ok, now that I'm done with that... nothing much was changed here. Take it back... a LOT was changed here. Rate/Review!


	25. End of the Silent Treatment

_Flashback:_

_Akamaru howled, a smirk on his face._

_"Oh… so you're JEALOUS! Ok, I understand now. Fine, you can go out with Hinata and all, but when you finally realize that your feelings aren't going to change, Neko will definitely be long gone." _

_I growled, about to snarl back a response, but I felt a presence near me._

_"Uh… so… I heard from a little bird that you're going out with… Hinata…"_

_I looked up, to find none other than Neko being the one speaking to me._

_My heart skipped a beat when I met her eyes._

_"Why the hell did I ask Hinata to be my girlfriend when I clearly love Neko?"_

Chapter 25: End of the Silent Treatment

**Neko's POV**

I was training with Naruto, nothing special, when and I watched Hinata suddenly run over to Sakura, telling her something in a rushed fashion.

_"I've never seen Hinata act like that..."_

Naruto and I stopped training, both equally curious.

_"Usually Hinata isn't one to be overly ecstatic about things… I wonder what's up…"_

Naruto and I both made our way over to Sakura and Lee, who were now both looking crazy happy.

"What's up, Sakura, Hinata?"

Naruto asked, looking at the three of them.

Choji, nearby, was watching with shifty eyes, as if he suspected something, but soon went back to eating.

Hinata looked at the two of us, her face pink.

"Kiba and I… are going out."

Naruto's eyes lit up as a smile appeared on his whiskered face.

"That's great, Hinata!"

I couldn't say the same for myself, though.

I swayed on my feet a bit when I heard the news; could today _possibly_ get any worse?

Of course, I was happy for Hinata; I was so happy, I was nearly jumping around with Sakura, and Lee looked quite inspired with the flames in his eyes.

But... my heart held me back.

_"Is this how... he... felt? When he found out about Naruto and I? Is he trying to get me back? Or... trying to make me want him back through pain?"_

The thought made me bite my lip, which I had been doing a lot of recently, and I frowned.

Naruto was smiling his sparkly, Lee-like smile, which I personally adored even though I had to have been the only one not smiling, because it hurt too much.

Suddenly, I felt a longing to talk to Kiba, and I felt my legs begin to move toward him.

_"Why would I talk to him, you stupid heart? I don't want to see his face again if I can help it!"_

Even though I knew that wasn't true, I still wanted to talk to him nonetheless.

_"It's been too long since... we've talked at all..."_

Talon meowed at me, sounding irritated that I was going to talk to him, but I whispered to her:

"I _have_ to."

The way I had said it... it sounded like I needed him in my life.

_"Psh. No."_

Naruto must have seen me whisper to Talon as well as my first step toward Kiba, and he asked me: "Whatcha gonna talk to Kiba about, Neko?"

I turned to him, feeling embarrassed.

"I was going to… congratulate him… you know…"

Looking into his eyes, I realized that he might know exactly what was going on, though he didn't say anything about it... the thought made me shiver.

_"I can't let anyone know my feelings right now..."_

Without a second thought, I began to walk toward Kiba and saw that he was talking to Akamaru.

Akamaru was barking something at him in what seemed like an angry manner, and as I approached him, I told him what was common knowledge at the moment, but it was as if I was muted when I said it to him.

"Uh… so… I heard from a little bird that you're going out with… Hinata…"

**Kiba's POV**

I was still in a stupor moments after Neko said that sentence to me.

This was the first time we've talked to each other since I fucked up.

"_Am I dreaming? Is she… really talking to me?" _I thought to myself, feeling almost lightheaded with surprise.

After a moment, I sat up and stared at her. Her eyes, more particularly.

"Yeah… where'd you hear that?"

She looked almost confused. "Oh… Hinata told us. Congratulations."

Talon was on her shoulder, glaring at me something fierce, but I managed to choke out: "Yeah. Thanks."

I couldn't help but think;

_"I thought she absolutely hated me… and I thought that she'd never want to talk to me again REGUARDLESS… but… she's ok with me enough to talk to me after nearly a month. I hope I didn't make another fucking mistake..."_

Another mistake... those words were enough to make me go cold all the way down to my naval. If I had just ruined everything again... I don't know what I'd do.

Neko just stared at me for a moment, and during this awkward silence, I sat up shaking my head, trying to clear it.

_"Can't stop thinking about her... can't all of these images of HER be images of Hinata?!"_

Neko just kept staring at me, until Akamaru went up to her and barked.

She looked at me and asked: "What… what did he say?"

I glared at Akamaru, and looked back up at her.

"He said he misses you and that devil cat of yours."

_"Little bastard..."_

Neko suddenly looked hurt, and I wanted to take my words back instantly. "She's not a devil, Kiba."

I only stared at her, trying not to say anything else to make her hurt, and soon the whole entourage was around us.

Hinata knelt down to my level and grasped onto my arm and whispered to me.

"My father doesn't like me to be out so late, even if it's with friends... so… could you… take me home?"

Akamaru jumped onto my head as I stood up, taking Hinata with me.

"Yeah, sure." I smiled at her and began to lead her away from the group.

Akamaru was whimpering, and I asked softly. "What's the matter, boy?"

Akamaru barked. _"I wanted to talk to Talon. She is NOT a demon cat." _

I snorted. "Tch, don't remind me."

Hinata looked up at me. "What's up with Akamaru?"

"Nothing, he's just angry with me because he wanted… to train."

I quickly filled in that sentence, and Hinata smiled at me and turned back to the group.

"Bye, guys!"

I felt my eyes wander into the ground when I felt one particular gaze, and it was one that he didn't want, yet wanted so desperately.

_"I'm with Hinata, she's with Naruto. I don't think there's any way to go except forward. I just… gotta forget about her, and concentrate on Hinata. I gotta let her go..."_

Looking down at Hinata, the one I had always thought of as second best to Neko before Hinata and I were together, and tried to imagine her being the one thing on my mind.

It wasn't hard or anything, but it made me a bit nervous.

_"It'll be tough as hell to make it that way..."_

I finally turned around, and I was met with a scene that I will likely never forget... not to mention that I already saw it happen once; Neko and Naruto.

They were kissing very subtly, but more passionately than last time.

I watched for a moment, my thoughts vacant, until the two needed to pull away, and they just looked at each other with nothing other than the one emotion that I didn't want to see; affection.

I shook in anger.

_"How could he just… take her from me like that? It's like…"_

I stopped walking as everything clicked in my mind. Anger took over as all the muscles in my body tightened.

_"He did it on purpose."_

* * *

Yeah, yeah, I know… this one is pretty short, but it's a bridge for another chapter :P I hope you all like this story… I'm thinking of writing more when I'm done with this one! :O Shocker! Well, I read all of my most recent reviews, and I cried when I saw how many people love this… Thanks! Ok, rate/review! :)

10/10/12: AGAIN, IT'S NARUTO UZUMAKI'S BIRTHDAY! BELIEVE IT! Alright... so nothing much was changed for this bridge-chapter... ok? :D Rate/Review!


	26. Her Heart, Their Fists

_Flashback:_

_I finally turned around, and I was met with a scene that I will likely never forget... not to mention that I already saw it happen once; Neko and Naruto._

_They were kissing very subtly, but more passionately than last time._

_I watched for a moment, my thoughts vacant, until the two needed to pull away, and they just looked at each other with nothing other than the one emotion that I didn't want to see; affection._

_I shook in anger._

_"How could he just… take her from me like that? It's like…"_

_I stopped walking as everything clicked in my mind. Anger took over as all the muscles in my body tightened._

_"He did it on purpose."_

Chapter 26: Her Heart, Their Fists

**Kiba's POV**

I stared ahead, my eyes wide in the sudden anger and hatred that consumed me.

_"I should have known! How STUPID can I fucking get?! He must have been so fucking jealous of how well she and I were getting along at the time, and decided to fucking screw me over!" _

Unconscious to the world around me, I bared my teeth, unwillingly, as I trudged on, Hinata still clinging to my arm.

**Neko's POV**

As soon as Kiba had left, I felt completely hopeless.

_"Those were the first words that I've said to him and vice-versa in almost a month… I feel so stupid; he didn't even want me around."_

After the kiss with Naruto, though, I at least felt a little more comforted than before, though I secretly hoped Kiba saw that one this time.

Talon had just been staring at Akamaru the whole time, and it was as if the two animals would have liked nothing more than to just have a heart-to-heart conversation.

Sakura, Lee, and Choji had waved goodbye to the couple, and Naruto had turned to the remaining four of us and Talon.

"Ok… Whatcha say… that we call it a day? That was _fun,_ guys! We need to do this again sometime!"

Choji, believe it or not, was still on the same bag of chips as he smiled.

"Yeah! Maybe when Shikamaru and Temari come back… we'll all have a battle royale! A free for all!"

Sakura punched her fist, like normal. "Sounds like a date."

Lee was running in circles.

"I _must_ find Gai-sensei and train for this royale! He will help me to become stronger, so that I may even be able to beat _you, _Naruto!"

Lee gave him the good guy pose and ran off to who-knows-where, and Sakura sighed, walking off as well.

"I guess Lady Tsunade will probably need me… bye guys! This _was_ fun!"

Choji got up.

"Time for some BBQ! This was probably the best picnic/training session I've ever been to! Thanks!"

He smiled a big, happy smile and walked toward the entrance of the training area as well.

After a minute, Naruto turned to me, and I realized I had just sat there with a fake smile on my face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked me.

Naruto's blue eyes reminded me of a pool as he stared at me... nothing but worry and confusion inside of them.

_"It's like he can read my mind…"_ I thought, feeling more comfortable instantly.

I sighed.

"This is kind of a short story… but… I think I'm jealous of Kiba and Hinata's… relationship."

I had chosen my words carefully; I didn't want to say anything that might make me blurt out everything that had ever happened between Kiba and I.

All Naruto said, being as dense as he was, was:

"Oh… is it because they're a good couple?"

Honestly, I almost face-palmed, but stopped myself; occasionally, it was good to know that he's oblivious, like now.

"Yeah," I finally said, thinking inwardly. _"You COULD say that…"_

Naruto smiled at me, instantly warming me from the inside.

"No need to be jealous, Neko! In fact, personally… I think we're a better couple."

Talon jumped onto Naruto's spikey blonde head, flattening his hair, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"She wants to play, I guess."

Naruto smirked, gently getting the cat off of his head.

"I guess we can play…" and with that, he pounced on me, bowling me over as we hit the ground.

"Ah, Naruto… idiot! I'm in a skirt!"

On top of me now, he lifted himself off of me and smoothed my skirt, making me shiver from his sudden touch.

He smiled suddenly.

"I guess… I'll get off if you want me to."

I felt myself began to purr.

"But… I don't really want you to. If _you_ want to, then… go ahead."

Naruto nuzzled his face into mine, putting us in a very intimate state because we were in the middle of the training field.

"Then… I'll keep you right here."

Again, Talon jumped onto Naruto's head as he lifted it up, making me laugh a bit.

_"I don't think I've been this happy in days!"_

All thoughts of Kiba were nearly forgotten now.

Naruto made a sad face.

"Cat! Get off of me!"

Talon obliged, and lied down a couple of feet from the wrestling two of us.

Naruto suddenly rolled off of me.

"Why don't we walk to my house? I think we'd be able to settle down or something before it gets _really_ dark."

I smiled and nodded.

"That'd be nice."

When he helped me up, the two of us began to walk, hand in hand, back to the nearly-dark streets of Konoha.

"So… I guess you'll be staying with me? I _do_ have an extra bedroom… but… there's no bed in there."

Naruto scratched his cheek like he was embarrassed, and I smiled at him again.

"No problem! I'll sleep on the floor."

Naruto threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

"No! _I'll_ sleep on the floor, and _you_ sleep on my bed!"

The two of us briefly got into it, until I decided that I'd sleep on the couch, Naruto on the floor, and Talon on Naruto's bed… we didn't even know how we came to that conclusion, but it at least got us to stop fighting.

We walked on in nearly complete silence, until Naruto whispered to me something that made my heart stop and cringe... like it was in pain:

"Hey look, it's Kiba!"

**Kiba's POV**

I had been pretty much completely silent as I walked Hinata back to her house… uh… mansion… and it was because of two words; Naruto Uzumaki.

_"He thinks he's just so much better than me at taking care of her! He's not… he'll fucking hurt her before Shik comes back from his vacation with HIS dream girl or whatever the hell they're doing right now!"_

I was ranting and raging over this little turn of events, and I almost didn't feel Hinata tug on my shoulder.

"My house… was back there, Kiba."

Ashamed of myself that I was too busy thinking to pay attention, I muttered. "Sorry, Hinata."

She smiled up at me. "It's ok!"

I couldn't return it; there was _nothing_ that could happen to make me smile until I saw Naruto's dead body lying in front of me...

Once we reached her doorstep, Hinata hugged me tightly. "Goodnight, Kiba!" and Neji opened the door before I could do anything about it, thus saving me from having to fake a smile or kiss her on the cheek.

"C'mon, Hinata," Neji growled, like normal. "We don't have all day."

Hinata smiled up at me again and ran into her house.

Neji slammed the door in my face, making me seethe in anger at him for a moment before going back to ranting and raving in my head about kicking Naruto's ass.

_"I'll fucking end that prick. Who would fucking pull shit like that? It's a fucking crotch shot, and it's so damn embarrassing… I was depressed for a little over a week because I thought that I, ME, fucked up. I DIDN'T fuck up… it was all part of that fucking asshole's plan to ruin us."_

I walked down the street, feeling angry enough to hit anyone who dared talk to me in the face.

Akamaru suddenly barked at me.

_"What's been on your mind? It's like you want to kill someone now."_

I looked up at the dog on my head.

_"He has no idea."_

"I guess I've realized something." I growled as the thought ended.

Akamaru whimpered a little 'what might that be?' kind of thing, and I snarled in a whisper:

"I was set up. Akamaru, she was stolen from me!"

Akamaru just sighed and barked back a response.

_"Kiba… I doubt that Naruto would have ever stolen Neko from you… and he's way too oblivious to realize that you two were getting closer in the first place."_

I growled, glaring up at him now.

"Oh, so now you're on _his_ side, huh?"

Akamaru barked back, sounding sharp.

_"What the hell?! I'm not on ANYONE'S side, I'm just telling you that you're wrong to accuse Naruto of such treachery, when he would never do ANYTHING like that."_

I only growled, not wanting to respond.

_"Of COURSE he'd do something like that. Akamaru has OBVIOUSLY_ _not seen Naruto when he's jealous…"_

I kept growling, until I saw the one person I never wanted to see again in my _life,_ unless I was at his funeral… and the girl I so desperately wanted to be over.

Talon was on Neko's shoulder, looking normal as ever, and the two were holding hands.

I felt my hand fly up to my heart; no matter how 'over her' I was, it still hurt to see them holding hands and walking so closely together.

_"It would have been US together... if he hadn't fucked EVERYTHING up!"_

As we passed each other, Neko looked away, making my heart spaz out, and Naruto smiled at me.

"Hey, Kiba!"

All I could manage was a growl and I was on my way, walking faster than I had ever walked before.

**Neko's POV**

When Naruto and I had passed Kiba, all I could think of was how angry he looked.

_"I wonder what happened… he was fine earlier." _

My head turned to follow his footsteps as I noticed his head look down to the pavement in anger.

Naruto looked back as well, obviously spooked, and said in a low whisper:

"Did... did you _see_ the look he just gave me?! It's like… he wanted to kill me!"

His blue eyes were wide in what seemed like fear as I smiled.

"As if he would kill you… as if he _could._"

Naruto just laughed right along with me, all traces of whatever he was feeling earlier gone.

"You're right! _I'm_ gonna be Hokage one day, and if I really am, then Kiba will _never_ beat me at _anything_!"

I couldn't help but smile at Naruto's enthusiasm, and we soon reached Naruto's flat.

He opened the door to his small, apartment-like house, and shrugged.

"Well… it's not much, but it's close enough."

Not so much of a surprise, though; Naruto's place was a mess.

There were books lying about, as well as lots of empty bowls of what I assumed to be ramen, and I could even see some kunai and shuriken on the windowsill.

"What'd you do; throw a party?" I giggled a bit, and Naruto scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

"Well…"

Talon almost immediately began to dig underneath the articles of clothes that were strewn about, and she found a stray ramen noodle to play with.

I felt my eyebrows go up as I looked Naruto in the eye, mentally asking him why there was ramen all over the place.

Almost immediately, he put his hands up in defense.

"I can get a bit lazy when it comes to cleaning…"

_"A bit?!"_

I rolled my eyes playfully as another smile lit up my face.

"That's fine. I'll clean it all up tomorrow. I'll even ask Lady Tsunade if it's mission-worthy!"

Naruto shook his head, a slight blush on his face. Then he stopped and started looking me up and down.

"Wait… do you have your stuff?"

My hands flew up to my face dramatically, making my bangs swish to the left.

"Shit! I'll go get my-"

But Naruto took one of my hands and rubbed it against his cheek.

"No. _I'll_ go get them."

Without seemingly making any effort, he took my hand, kissed it, and walked out of the door without another word.

I felt a blush in my cheeks, and I had to sit down on Naruto's red couch to attempt to get it off.

_"Oh... Naruto..."_

**Kiba's POV**

I arrived at my house in record time, still unbelievably angry, and Kuromaru grunted when he saw me.

Hana was on the couch next to my mother.

"I was wondering when you'd get back," she laughed. "How was your day?"

I only growled in response and led Akamaru upstairs.

On my way up, I heard my mother sigh. "Must have been a shitty day."

Once inside my room, I got Akamaru off of my head, laid down on my bed, and tried to sleep.

It was a living hell; the only thing that plagued my mind was total and complete annihilation of Naruto.

_"He fucking DESERVES to die. He screwed me over… but this is the last fucking straw. If I ever catch him without her… I'll murder him."_

The thought sent shivers up my spine; it was unbelievable how much I wanted her... and it was especially unbelievable what I'd do to _get_ her.

I decided to take a walk, after tossing and turning one too many times.

Quietly, I got up to leave, trying not to disturb Akamaru, who was already asleep.

As I creeped down the stairs and toward the door, I completely forgot that I had just walked past Hana and my mother.

"Where are _you_ going?" Tsume asked, sounding pissed off for whatever reason.

_"Great. Just what I need."_

"I'm going for a walk, mom."

That all I could manage as I opened the door, ready to sprint out of it and get the hell out of there.

Hana sighed, sounding exasperated. "Kiba… it's almost nine… you should at least be home."

I felt my teeth come out of my mouth, forming an angry scowl. "I _need_ to take a fucking walk. I'll be back later."

Without waiting for a response, I closed the door behind me as I sprinted back to downtown Konoha.

"_They don't know what it's like to be fucking betrayed by one of your best friends. All I need is a nice, calming run." _

I took deep breaths as I kept running through the streets, passing by people I didn't even know.

Closing my eyes, I thought about Neko. The image of her appeared instantly as I tried to calm myself down.

As soon as it started to work, Naruto appeared right next to her and made me grit my teeth.

_"Bastard."_

I blindly took a sharp turn down an alleyway, and when I opened my eyes, I saw I opportunity; Naruto was alone, just walking, looking like he had somewhere to be.

The thoughts of murder nearly swamped me but I surpressed them and began to turn around so I didn't do something I'd regret.

As if Naruto knew I really hated him at the moment, he turned and saw me.

"Hey, Kiba!"

I growled as he made his way over to me.

Naruto stared at him.

"What's up? You sound pissed."

I growled, unintentionally. "I am."

Naruto put his hands behind his head, nonchalantly.

"Why is that? Did someone hurt the little puppy's feelings?" He smirked in a playful way.

Rage took over as my fist connected with Naruto's face.

_"Asshole. He really thinks I'm gonna sit here and listen to him talk shit about me?"_

"The hell was _that_ for?! I was just kidding."

Naruto had recoiled in pain, and now was rubbing his cheek.

I spat back.

"You should know!"

I watched Naruto's eyebrows knit together. "The hell are you talking about? I didn't fucking do anything to you, Inuzuka."

Rage engulfed me completely; how could he fucking _say _that?! It was _his_ fault my heart was torn into pieces.

I grabbed the collar of his orange jumpsuit and growled again, allowing the angry red haze I haven't seen in forever to cover my vision.

"You might as well have fucking killed me, Uzumaki."

Without a second thought, I threw him onto the ground, where he landed with a loud thud.

Naruto got up, unfazed, and he glared at me.

"Ok… the first time might have been tolerable, but now… I'll kick your ass."

I felt his fist connect with my jaw, which sent me flying into a nearby wall.

I got up, rubbing my jaw.

_"This fucking asshole."_

I felt my feet flew toward Naruto as our fists connected with each other's faces, hitting each other with the same force, just like Sakura and Ino in the preliminary rounds at the Chunin Exams.

**Neko's POV**

I sat on Naruto's red couch for ten minutes, and wondered where Naruto had gone.

_"He KNOWS I don't like to be alone… he'd be back by now… my house isn't THAT far from here."_

I glanced at Talon worriedly as she sighed and I muttered:

"I guess... I'll wait ten more minutes."

Those ten minutes were agonizingly terrible when I realized he wasn't back, and I began to get worried.

"C'mon, Talon, we're going looking for him."

Talon nodded and meowed; she didn't know what we were gonna find out there, but whatever we _did_ find, she had asked if I was going to be ok.

"Of course." I replied simply, and the two of us raced out of the small house.

It was as if Talon had immediately caught onto a scent or a sound of some kind, because she was bounding toward an alleyway that was a shortcut to my house.

"Ok… lead me to him!" I was really worried now.

_"What would make him take so long?"_

I followed Talon, who seemed to be going faster every second, and soon heard why; fighting.

Two people were going at it, and I could tell one was Naruto by the way I heard him say: "What the hell is your problem?!"

"He's not too far from here!" I cried, feeling my heart swim up to my throat.

_"I hope he's ok..."_

Talon was already racing toward the scene, and once we were there, we both stopped suddenly.

I almost gasped at the sight as my hands began to shake; Naruto and Kiba were just throwing punches, without using any Jutsu.

At the moment, I didn't care that Kiba was in front of me. I was only worried for one reason only at that moment:

This wasn't anything _close_ to a training match.

Kiba was bleeding from his forehead and on his left thigh where his pants had been ripped open, and Naruto's right shoulder and cheek were bloody as well.

"What the hell is your problem, Kiba?!" I could hear Naruto's angry, yet exhausted voice.

My eyes widened when I saw Kiba's face. I've never seen him so angry. The very sight of it... it made my heart stop and make a deafening beat in my chest.

"You should _know_ what my problem is, you bastard!"

His voice escaped his lips with such hatred... such anger... I fought the need to tell him it was ok. It hurt.

_"What could have made him so angry...?"_

I knew instantly, just by instinct, that neither of them could see me because they were too engrossed in the fight.

Kiba suddenly pulled out a kunai from his pouch, and that's when I realized it was getting pretty serious.

Without thinking about it, I ran into the fray, jumping in front of Naruto as Kiba started to dash toward him.

"Kiba stop!"

My voice escaped from my mouth as I saw his eyes sharpen with even more anger.

I heard the sound of Talon meowing in fear, and Naruto's sudden cry of terror. "Neko! No!"

With that, I felt a stinging pain in my chest, where my heart was supposed to be. It was so intense, I wondered how I hadn't died right then.

Kiba was right in my face, and I watched as his eyes went from beyond furious, to absolutely horrified. His mouth moved to say something, but I couldn't see what it was... I think it could have been 'no..'.

A smile somehow made its way into my features as I tried to mouth the words 'it's ok' to him, but my body was paralyzed.

That's when everything faded out as my legs gave out from underneath me.

_"I hope they're both ok."_

My last thought faded away along with my worries as all I could feel, see, and taste was the blackness that I welcomed... like a sudden, yet wanted deep sleep.

**Kiba's POV**

I felt alive, even _if_ Naruto and I's punches were matched in strength.

_"I don't want this shit to go on any longer."_

Suddenly, I got an idea.

Smirking, I reached into my kunai sack, deep in thought.

_"Maybe I'll end this quick. Quicker than he'll expect!"_

That's when I smelled a familiar scent, but over the scent of blood and the thought of Naruto dead, I couldn't quite place it.

_"It can't be important. I'm about to finish this... and then... heh, he won't be able to fuck anything up ANYMORE."_

The very thought of that... it made me so happy. Happier than I'd been in days.

I dashed forward.

_"The final move,"_ I thought, feeling more than satisfied, as I plunged my kunai into what I thought was Naruto.

My clouded, bloodthirsty vision cleared, and it was revealed to be the one person I never wanted to hurt again in my life.

_"__No."_ was my only thought, and I felt the word play on my lips.

Neko... she smiled up at me and I felt my eyes soften and blur as she collapsed onto what _should_ have been the ground, but Naruto had faster reflexes than I did as he took her into his arms.

Any other moment, I would have been pissed as _hell_ that Naruto had caught her before I did, but I was too scared.

Where I had stabbed her, Neko had begun bleeding out right in front of me, the hole where I had taken out the kunai I was holding covered so thickly in blood that it looked black in color.

My breathing picked up in panic; I didn't know what to do.

All I _knew_, though, was that I was shaking as the kunai I was holding fell to the ground.

_"What do I fucking do?! I could have just fucking killed her!"_

Naruto was in just as bad of a state as I was as he whispered, all anger between us forgotten:

"We have to get help… we need to get her to the hospital."

* * *

Woah, woah. Intense, bro. This one, I busted my ASS to make it work, and I think it turned out nicely. My ego is on a review-high right now… yeah. Rate/Review! :)

10/11/12: No way! Nice date... 10, 11, 12. Cool. xD Anyway... this chap was fun :) Rate/Review! I actually finished this one on 10/13/12... but I started on the 11th!


	27. The Hospital

_Flashback:_

_"The final move," I thought, feeling more than satisfied, as I plunged my kunai into what I thought was Naruto._

_My clouded, bloodthirsty vision cleared, and it was revealed to be the one person I never wanted to hurt again in my life._

_"No." was my only thought, and I felt the word play on my lips._

_Neko... she smiled up at me and I felt my eyes soften and blur as she collapsed onto what should have been the ground, but Naruto had faster reflexes than I did as he took her into his arms._

_Any other moment, I would have been pissed as hell that Naruto had caught her before I did, but I was too scared._

_Where I had stabbed her, Neko had begun bleeding out right in front of me, the hole where I had taken out the kunai I was holding covered so thickly in blood that it looked black in color._

_My breathing picked up in panic; I didn't know what to do._

_All I knew, though, was that I was shaking as the kunai I was holding fell to the ground._

_"What do I fucking do?! I could have just fucking killed her!"_

_Naruto was in just as bad of a state as I was as he whispered, all anger between us forgotten:_

_"We have to get help… we need to get her to the hospital."_

Chapter 27: The Hospital

**Kiba's POV**

When we got moving, I watched as Naruto glared at me.

"What the hell was _that_ for?! What the hell was _all_ of that for?!"

Honestly, I couldn't even _answer_; the cause was pretty much lost in my terror.

_"What do I do?"_

That line kept playing through my head as I felt my head get more and more unravelled by the moment.

Naruto's eyes were wide in terror, and his teeth were bared.

_"I hope he doesn't go all Kyuubi on me…"_

I finally got out of my dumbstruck state. "L-let's go. She might…"

But Naruto had already picked her up into his arms, her head lolling to his right bicep.

"If the nurses ask how the hell this happened, they'll need you. Come on."

Naruto sounded more pissed off than I had ever heard him as I followed him out of the nearly completely dark alleyway, Talon on our heels.

_"Damn..."_

I was completely ashamed and angry at myself; how could I have not seen her standing right in front of him? Was I so hell-bent on killing Naruto that I didn't notice?

Talon must have been just as livid; she was glaring at me with a look that could _kill_.

We made our way to the hospital as fast as we could without causing Neko to lose any more blood.

Once we burst through the door, the few people inside jumped at our sudden prescense.

Naruto rushed up to the counter, where a nurse was staring at us, wide-eyed.

"What happened?!" She asked, eyeing Neko in Naruto's arms. I couldn't help but watch as a drop of blood stained the dark blue carpet.

Naruto talked so hurriedly, even I couldn't understand what he said, and when he was done, the nurse came out from behind the counter and took Neko from Naruto's arms.

She swung around and ran through the door hurriedly.

A back-up nurse came and took her spot at the desk as soon as Naruto and I began to take a few steps forward to follow the nurse.

"Don't even _think_ about it; from the looks of her, she'll need to be in intensive care."

I felt my breathing stop for a moment, as if I was winded. That's when I realized:

_"I can't do this…"_

I was watching Naruto almost break down right in front of me.

"I swear... if she dies... I'll _kill_ you..." Naruto's blue eyes pierced me as I looked away.

_"He doesn't have to worry about killing me. I'll do his job for him..."_

"Take a seat; you two look exhausted… and… do you need any bandages? Looks like you two need them."

The nurse snapped me back into reality as she gestured to our wounds.

I managed to choke out: "I'm fine. I think he's ok, too."

Glancing at Naruto, I could see how angry he looked. His eyebrows were creased in a way that resembled anger and hatred... much like the way I used to glare at him while he wasn't looking.

I began to walk to a seat that was close to the door that led to the hospital wings, just in case we could go and see her, and Naruto began to do the same, as a guy in a differen seat near us smirked at Naruto.

Talon, next to the two of us and just as worried, hissed at the guy and sat on Naruto's lap as the two of us sat down.

The guy, being one of the few people there, smirked and said to Naruto:

"Hey… how's it hanging, orange juice?"

I felt Naruto tense next to me as he growled. "You got a problem?"

The guy just smirked even more broadly. "I dunno; I can't see it because your clothes are too bright."

As dumb as that comeback may seem, it pissed Naruto off enough to make him act out as he stood up, making Talon jump off of him.

He walked over to the guy and dragged him out of the chair he was sitting in.

"Hey, man... what are you-?!"

Naruto kicked him in the gut and into the wall, making magazines fall on top of him from a magazine holder on the wall above him.

"And that's…" Naruto dusted off of hands, a smirk on his face. "How you kick ass."

Unfortunately, the nurse who had been watching the whole thing, said, looking quite flustered and out of place:

"Ok… well… you will have to leave…"

The guy Naruto had just humiliated ran out of the hospital, obviously afraid of Naruto, and Naruto tried to argue with the nurse.

"But… I can't leave! I-"

The nurse stuck him with a hard glare, which made Naruto automatically shrivel up and stop talking.

He sighed, then walked over to me.

"Ok… I don't trust you with her, but… you're my only shot. Stay with her and tell me how she's doing in the morning. And if I find out you laid one fucking hand on her and hurt her… I'll deal with you."

He was glaring at me with irritation, and I only grunted.

"As if I even _meant_ to… and of course I won't."

Naruto growled.

"See to it, then."

And, with that, he was escorted out by the nurse, giving me a final glare as he left.

I looked to my side and saw Talon, washing herself in the chair next to me.

I could almost growl in annoyance; that cat made me mad just by _looking_ at it.

_"Tch. Why am I even staying here? I told my mom and Hana that I'd be back in a while, and a whole night is NOT 'a while'. They'll probably go assuming things and everything... like normal."_

At least an hour had passed by, and I was soon the only one in the waiting room, along with Talon.

The cat was actually _pacing_ in front of me, and I couldn't help but snort.

"I know I can't understand you, but what the hell are you doing? Why are you so worried?"

Talon just looked at me, her green eyes piercing my very soul, telling me everything I needed to know.

"Yeah… I guess you _should_ be worried. Sorry, I guess."

She just gave a cat-like sigh and jumped up onto the chair next to me again.

Suddenly, none other than Sakura came out from the back room with a nurse's hat on.

"Woah," I said as she passed me, surprised.

I had no idea that she worked here...

She looked back at me and her green eyes widened.

"Kiba! What are you doing here this late at night?!"

I sighed.

"Uh… well… Naruto wants me to look after… Neko,"

Her name rolled off of my tongue very unnaturally.

Sakura's green eyes widened even more.

"What happened to her?!"

_"I don't want to tell her… it's all my fucking fault. Uh… what do I say?"_

I took a deep breath.

"She's in intensive care… an accident happened, and Naruto got kicked out of here for fighting with some random guy, so he asked me to stay here and look after her."

Sakura sighed, putting a hand over her face.

"Oh, Naruto… he _would_ get kicked out of a hospital for fighting. Well, I'm off work, and looking forward to a nice sleep. Goodnight, Kiba!"

She walked out of the door to the waiting room, leaving Talon and I alone again.

Talon was glaring up at me, and when I asked;

"What?"

She looked away and flicked her tail.

That's when the same nurse who had rushed off with Neko came out and looked at me.

"Did you want to see the girl with the… stab wound?"

_Stab wound._

Those words made me feel like plunging a knife into my chest, too.

"Yeah." I sighed as I stood up.

The nurse motioned for me to follow her down the hallway, and we walked down until we passed a sign that read 'Intensive Care' with an arrow to the right.

The nurse took a sharp right and continued to Room 204.

Talon was tagging along next to my feet, and I tried not to step on her.

Before the nurse opened the door, she shook her head.

"Poor girl; she's been shaking since we put her into the cot."

I looked up at the nurse, who had blood red lipstick and beach blonde hair.

"So… does that mean she's conscious?"

I hoped with all of my heart that she would be, and my heart sunk when the nurse shook her head.

"No… she's lost a _lot_ of blood. Whatever must have stabbed her, it went in almost deep enough to penetrate her heart, and in that case we would have lost her."

I swayed on my feet for a moment.

_"I almost killed her… I almost lost her… to me."_ I silently cursed myself.

The nurse opened the door, and I felt my heart make a sickening "Thud!" in my chest; Neko was lying there, shaking every few seconds. She looked uncomfortable in the cot and the poor girl moved slightly in her unconsciousness.

Talon, instantly, made a beeline for the cot and jumped up onto it, rubbing her face on Neko's.

The nurse chuckled.

"That's her cat?"

I could only nod; I couldn't tear my eyes off of her, even a moment.

_"Neko..."_

I could see the nurse look at me from the corner of my eye.

"If you think something's wrong, there's a big red button near the cot, and one of us will come here and investigate what's up. Ok?"

"Ok…" I replied, feeling only pain sear me as I remembered that _I _was the one who did this to her.

The nurse nodded. "I'll leave her to you."

She left, and I walked into the room and closed the door behind me.

The room was lit only by the moonlight coming from the window.

Talon had curled up by Neko's head, and appeared to be asleep.

I shrugged off my jacket; it was much too warm in the room, and considering that I was worried sick and sweating, it was even worse.

My breathing began to slow down as I stood next to the cot.

_"Her chest is rising and falling. It's ok. She's not dead."_

My hand unconsciously slid up to my heart as it made another sickening stop in my chest.

"It still hurts." I whispered to myself.

I looked around the room for a moment; it was pretty much empty except for a counter and a sink. There was also a cabinet, which I figured that that was where they kept the the medical supplies.

I sat down in a nearby chair, admiring Neko from a ways away.

I watched her peacefully, trying to make a wall in my mind of all the things I thought of her, but there were simply too many.

_"...I still can't believe... I did this to her. I wish I could apologize to her."_

Suddenly, Neko convulsed in her unconsciousness, making me pull my chair up next to her.

"It's ok." I whispered to her, hoping she could hear me.

Neko stopped as if she _had _heard me, and she let out a feverish breath.

I sighed, feeling relieved that she was ok.

_"This hurts… just watching her in pain... but if Naruto found out that I ditched, then… I'd be killed. Literally. Not that I'd fucking mind after what I did."_

I shivered; I still couldn't believe that I'd been so unaware.

_"I'm such a fucking idiot."_ I growled at myself.

"N-Neko," I started, knowing that she couldn't hear me, but I wanted her to know. Sometimes when you're asleep, you can hear other people's voices... I hoped she could hear mine.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault I didn't see you. You were trying to protect Naruto, and that was very brave for anyone to do... I'm so sorry I treated you the way that I did back then… and I'm sorry about anything I've _ever_ done to make you cry. I _hate_ seeing you cry, Neko, and I'm sorry I've made you cry so many times."

It was as if she heard me... I heard her sigh softly in her unconsciousness and I felt my body shiver; it was as if she was answering me, or relieved... or maybe even forgiving me.

I continued on, feeling confident.

"And… I'm sorry for tearing your heart apart. With the thing that happened… the morning after… I realized something. I realized that I liked you. More than a friend, you know?"

Neko's eyes opened halfway for a moment, and I felt my heart stop; her gray eyes were white in the moonlight, and I could have stared into them all night.

All of a sudden, they closed again, and my breathing sped up; had she just heard me admit that to her?

_"...I hope she did..."_

Neko sighed, sounding calm now, and I continued on again, my heart almost pounding out of my chest as I now paced around the right side of the cot.

"And… I didn't _want_ to like you. I was in denial for so long… it felt _great_ to finally admit it to myself. Then… I fucked _everything_ up. I never got to apologize, but I am now. Even if you can't hear me… I don't care. I'll tell you again later. I'll tell you a million times over if I have to... I'm so fucking sorry."

Neko twitched in her sleep-like state, and I saw something in her eye. It made her face shine... it was a tear.

I, hesitantly, took my hand and wiped it away.

"It's ok. I swear, you're gonna be ok."

Once I touched her, I couldn't take my hand off of her soft face.

Honestly, it was softer than I had expected, almost like holding a warm blanket.

_"Why couldn't we be together...?"_

I stroked her cheek, gently, for a moment, and she made a sound that sounded much like whimpering.

"It's ok, Neko, it's ok." I whispered, almost begging for her eyes to open again.

_"What I'd give... for that to happen..."_

It was like she heard me, because she calmed down again.

Neko let out a soft breath, like a sigh, but much more beautiful to my ears.

_"What the hell am I doing? I don't like her anymore. Tch, I'm with Hinata. I don't care about her anymore." _

Though, what I had already said to her proved that that thought was a lie.

I growled at myself as I felt my head starting to go toward hers as I leaned toward her.

"No matter how much it seems like I don't, I _hate _it when I see you hurt. I didn't mean to hurt you, and… I'm so sorry."

Thinking quickly so I wouldn't kiss her, as much as I wanted to, I brushed my lips across her cheek slowly.

_"I don't want to take advantage of you... but you're so close to me..."_

My thoughts disappeared when I felt a vibration.

I stopped and looked down, and that's when I realized Neko had started purring.

My cheeks automatically heated up and I couldn't help but think;

_"How dumb is this? I'M blushing. Tch. I must REALLY be an idiot."_

I looked closer to her and the bandage that was covering her left shoulder, where I had stabbed her, caught my eye.

"It must have hurt… Neko, I'm sorry." I whispered.

I leaned down and pressed my lips, softly, against the bandage where I had stabbed her.

She shivered again, and I couldn't resist putting my hand on her forehead.

"You're freezing. Here," I began to gently lift her up, which made her shiver even more violently, and I put my jacket underneath her.

Gently, I let her down onto my jacket, and her shaking stopped almost immediately.

I pulled my hood over her head.

"There. That feels better… doesn't it?"

As if to reply to me, Neko started purring, loud enough for me to hear from where I was standing.

I knelt down next to the cot.

"I'll sleep here if I have to." I whispered to her, and she twitched again.

Neko's eyes opened again, and I breathed in.

_"Her eyes… are so… beautiful." _

They looked to her left, where I was, and we locked eyes for a moment.

"Are you… awake?" I breathed. The very thought of it... it made me stop thinking. As much as I would love to have her awake... how would I explain to her everything that was happening and why I was there instead of Naruto?

She stared at me for a few seconds, and her eyes drifted shut again.

I sighed and murmured, without even thinking about it:

"The moment I lost you… I couldn't believe how stupid I was."

I paused and watched her chest rise and fall. How graceful and peaceful she must feel... I sat down in the chair nearby and pulled it back up to the side of the cot.

"And… you meant more to me… than anything. It _hurt_ when I lost you. That's why I didn't come out of my house for a week; I was too angry at myself... because I fucking lost you."

I felt my eyes droop closed as soon as the sentence was said, and I breathed out:

"I still miss you."

* * *

"...I didn't know she had a late night visitor... I also didn't know he was still in here..."

I opened my eyes; it was light outside, but it had to have been around eight in the morning. I lifted my head, rubbing my eyes.

_"When the hell did I fall asleep?"_

Two men, apparently doctors, were staring at me as I straightened up immediately.

"I see you've woken up. You should be proud, kid." One of them remarked.

Honestly, I was _confused_; what the hell should I be _proud_ of?! I had almost gotten Neko _killed_, and I took nothing but hatred and anger from that.

The other one, having an aura about him that seemed boss-like, remarked: "It's not very often we see a kid like you staying all night with another patient."

My eyes widened. "Is that a good thing...?"

The one that seemed like he was in control laughed.

"Well, you see… kids usually don't like to stay out longer than they have to... but you seem like you don't really care about cerfew... and your jacket is around her..."

The other one cut him off.

"Long story short... he and I were betting if you two were together or not. I personally think-"

"No, we're not together! Why the hell would you think that?!" I felt my voice explode from my mouth.

How _dare_ they make assumptions like that?

The first one laughed at me.

"I never would have guessed you two weren't."

My eyes got naturally sharp as I felt my glare become more intense.

_"Bastards."_

"Is she ok?" I demanded.

The second one smiled at me, making me feel angry.

"Yes, she's fine. In fact, she's the most stable that we've seen since she was brought here. Once she wakes up, she should be able to be released."

This news made me sigh; I was thankful that Neko was ok.

Not only would Naruto have had my ass handed to me, but I had been more worried than I had ever been in his _life._

_"Talking to her sure helped me,"_ I smiled to myself in my head. _"I might have gone insane… I can't believe I told her EVERYTHING, but… she didn't hear me."_

I almost hung my head in disappointment, and the men handed me my jacket.

"Ok, you can leave now, if you want."

I didn't _want _to leave, there were so many things I had to do: face my mother and Hana, which would be hell, and tell Naruto that Neko was ok.

Leaving out the whole 'doctors betting on if she was mine' part, as well as the 'admitting things to her' part, of course, because I valued my own life enough at the moment that I didn't want to lose it.

But… I knew that if I didn't do _either_ as soon as I could… I'd be _screwed_ when it came to my mom, but Naruto would probably _kill _me.

I nodded to the two doctors, putting my jacket back on.

"Yeah… thanks."

They both nodded to me, and then the assistant one asked:

"Is this your cat?"

I snorted when I saw the thing get up and stretch.

"Tch, no. It's hers, and I hate the thing."

The two men laughed when Talon ran over to me and rubbed against my legs, purring.

The two men continued laughing, and the assistant barely managed to talk to me:

"It seems like it likes _you_!"

I couldn't help but snort as Talon meowed at me.

"Well… thanks." I muttered and sighed.

I left the two men laughing at me as Talon trotted behind me, seeming like she was in a good mood.

After a few minutes, I found my way out of the hospital and headed toward Naruto's flat.

_"Ok… I'll just drop off this damn cat and then I'll be out on my way to get killed by mom and Hana…"_

I walked up to Naruto's door and rang the bell.

There was a large commotion inside, as if someone was scrambling around, and Naruto opened the door, looking sleep-deprived.

"Hey." I said, trying to sound normal.

"What the hell do you want?" Naruto asked as he looked at me shiftily, as if he had some sort of reason to suspect me.

"Uh… I was just going to tell you that Neko is totally fine and that she'll probably be released today."

That must have been great news, because Naruto's face lit up.

"Ok! Thanks, Kiba!"

I just rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, but can you just take the damn cat?!"

Talon was meowing at Naruto as he took her inside.

"She must be hungry. Ok, see you later, Kiba... I guess."

Naruto shut the door in my face, making me raise my eyebrow.

_"It seemed to be more than him hating me for hurting her... h__e seemed like he was in a hurry. I bet he's doing something stupid…"_

My mind wondered endlessly on what Naruto could possibly be doing that made him so jumpy as I neared my house.

When it got into sight, the first person I saw was Hana.

She was outside with her three dogs and when she saw me, she yelled:

_"KIBA! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! MOM'S GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"_

I sighed.

_"I'm in so much trouble."_

I hung my head as I walked through the door, where Kuromaru was growling at me.

Suddenly, I was knocked to the side with a blow to the head.

"'I'm going to take a walk! I'll be back later'! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!"

_"No questioning who THAT is,"_ I sighed in my head as I regained my posture.

"Mom, I was at the hospital." I muttered as I met her angry eyes.

She automatically widened them. "Why? You're not hurt, are you?"

I shook my head. "No, no. I'm not."

Tsume's eyes widened in sudden anger.

"You didn't have a baby that I don't know about, did you?!"

I was shaking my head wildly now.

"What?! Hell no! Mom, I'm not gonna have any kids for a while, and… I was there because my friend got hurt, and she's in the hospital. Thank God she's ok though."

There was a slight sigh in my voice as I said my last statement.

Tsume looked at me with a quizzical look, then dismissed me as if nothing had happened just now.

"Ok… you can go."

Without missing a beat, I hurried up to my room before my mom could think of any more questions to ask me and locked my door behind me.

Akamaru jumped on my leg as soon as the deed was done.

_"I thought you died or something!"_ He barked, looking happy that I was finally home.

"No, boy, I'm fine."

Akamaru sniffed my jacket as I took it off.

_"Smells like Neko and Talon… what'd you do with them?!"_

I sighed; this meant that I had to tell Akamaru the _whole_ story, leaving out the parts of me confessing things to her, because he'd never let me live it down.

_"Damn... I might as well have taken the damn dog with me... at least he would have kept me in check..."_

I sat down, motioning for him to sit down as well.

"You might need to brace yourself, boy..."

**Neko's POV**

The next thing I knew, I woke up.

My vision was blurred and I felt tired, yet I was strangely ok, despite what had happened.

Rubbing my eyes, I remembered what a rough night it had been. I felt like I had gotten no sleep because I had been in pain all night... the only reason I _could_ sleep was because of all the painkillers they gave me.

Two men were standing above me as my vision cleared, making me almost flinch.

"I guess you're awake. How do you feel?" The first one asked me, tilting his head to one side.

I held my head; it was throbbing now, the more I was exposed to the sudden light.

"I feel… ok, I guess."

"Do you think you can walk?" Asked the other.

I sat up, stretching for a moment.

"Yeah… I'm fine."

The two looked between each other like they knew something, and the first one said after a moment:

"Ok… your clothes are on the counter, and you can get out of that hospital gown and then you're free to go."

I nodded, and the two doctors left.

_"I wonder what they looked at each other like that for…? Huh. Must not have been important." _

That's when I noticed that my gown was made so that my left side was sticking out with my bandage exposed.

I put a hand over my new stab wound, feeling it tingle for a moment.

_"It still hurts a little bit..."_

Without wasting even a moment, I changed hurriedly, and walked out of the room on unsteady feet, thinking to myself about what had happened the day before and wondering how I was able to get up so quickly.

_"You'd think I'd be in the hospital for... I don't know, at LEAST a COUPLE of days... and I know Kiba didn't see me… so I'm not going to hold it over his head or anything like that, but… I also wonder why no one was with me last night. Someone HAD to bring me here…" _

Then, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me... I remembered something:

* * *

"…_Are you… awake?"_ _A familiar voice asked me softly. _

_"Yes, I am…" _

_I tried to open my mouth to tell whoever was asking the question that I was ok. _

_No matter how hard I tried, I heard nothing come out from my mouth. _

_Suddenly, light hit my eyes, and I saw a figure leaning close to me next to my bed… or… cot. _

_I wanted so desperately to move to get a better view, but I was so cold, I might as well have been a block of ice._

_The voice asked something else of me, but I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth; it was as if it had been glued shut._

_It went from freezing to hot very quickly, soothing my muscles, and my eyes closed._

* * *

My pace picked up as I made my way to Naruto's house, racing out of the hospital in Lady Tsunade's office.

_"Someone HAD to have been with me. I SAW them. I don't know who it was, though… it had to have been Naruto! I can't think of anyone else who would be with me that late at night!"_

Though, as soon as I thought that, one other person popped into my mind, but I ignored and blocked the thought as I made my way down Naruto's street now, bursting with happiness at the thought of staying with him.

_"This'll be fun!"_

I smiled as I neared his house and I knocked on his door, feeling a smile plastered to my face at how happy he'd be to see me.

There was a clanking sound from inside, making my heart go all crazy for a moment, and Naruto opened the door.

His eyes were dull when he first saw me, but they brightened up almost automatically.

"Neko!"

He yelled my name as he put his arms around me.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"How'd you _miss_ me?! You saw me only a few hours ago!"

Naruto pulled me inside after giving me a confused look, and I immediately noticed how the entire place was _clean,_ and my suitcase was on the couch.

"Y-you were… _cleaning_?! But how?! You must have been tired after being with me all night..."

Naruto gave me another look of confusion.

"Neko… I wasn't with you last night. I got kicked out of the hospital before they allowed me to visit you because this kid started dissing me and I kicked him into the wall."

I face-palmed, but then I gasped:

"Wait… so if it wasn't _you_ with me… who was it?!"

Naruto gave me a surprised look that soon turned into an almost jealous one.

"It was probably Kiba. I told him to stay and look after you because I got thrown out of there…"

_Kiba. _

The name pierced my heart and made me flinch, but my thoughts were wandering.

_"What the hell?! KIBA was with me last night?! But… he was talking to me. I swear he was talking to me. I don't know what he said… but someone was talking."_

Naruto looked at me, looking concerned now. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, Naruto! I'm fine… but where's Talon?!"

I looked around, feeling nervous that I couldn't find her, and the cat was on the couch and she meowed a greeting at me as she jumped from the couch and began pawing at my legs like she did when she was hungry.

"Naruto! She's hungry! Why didn't you feed her?!"

Without missing a beat, he leaned in and kissed me.

"Maybe because I was too busy cleaning. Now, come on; after you feed her, I want to sit with you."

I was confused as I grabbed some of the food that I had put in with my things and laid it out on the kitchen floor for Talon, who welcomed it with open paws, and Naruto led me, by hand, to his red couch.

He let go of my hand and just lounged with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

I laughed slightly.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto opened one eye with a smirk. "Hmm. Just sitting. Sit with me."

I laughed and obliged almost immediately.

Without another thought, he wrapped his arm around me and lifted me on top of him, causing me to lean into his abs.

I fit my head in the crook of his neck and began to purr.

I smiled when I felt Naruto smile, and I closed my eyes.

_"Life can't get any better."_

All thoughts of Kiba were disappearing, even though I was very conscious to the fact that I knew I wanted Naruto to be _him_ at the moment, but I tried to imagine that he was.

It wasn't hard.

**Kiba's POV**

"_What?!"_ Akamaru barked at me after I told him the story. _"You did NOT almost kiss her… did you?"_

I nodded, feeling guilty.

"Yeah, I did. But I'm not going to tell her, and you had _better_ not tell Talon if you see her."

Akamaru whined then barked at me.

_"Fine, but… Kiba… that CAN'T be all that happened between you two."_

I felt my cheeks heat up as I stood up. "It is!" Akamaru barked back. _"Liar!"_

My eyes rolled out of my head pretty much as I muttered:

"Fine, don't believe me."

I opened up my door to leave, but that's when I heard my mom's voice downstairs, talking with Hana.

"Seriously; what's up with your little brother?! He's annoying the piss outta me, and he's just been rebellious ever since he came home."

My eyebrows went up in curiosity.

_"I wonder why they're talking about me...?"_

I shh'd Akamaru and closed my door behind us, silently, and listened for Hana's voice.

"Rebellious... I guess you can say that…"

Tsume must have rolled her eyes, I could hear it in her voice: "What the hell do you know, Hana?!"

Hana laughed. "I don't know much, but Kiba's been having some problems with _girls_ lately."

I growled aloud: "Traitor…"

Tsume's voice cracked. "What?! Why didn't he _ask _me for help?!"

Hana was still laughing.

"Oh… he's been trying to deal with them himself, but he's been doing it _completely_ wrong. He has it really bad, I mean _really_ bad, for this one girl, but he fucked up and now another girl is with him... but he says it's not the same. He's much too nice to break the second girl's heart, though, and I think the first girl moved on."

Tsume must have been _furious_, because she sighed:

"Well, if there's _anyone_ who knows how to take care of girl problems, it's _us_."

Then, she raised her voice:

_"KIBA! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"_

I just shook my head and face-palmed. I knew I was going to get lectured.

"Shit."

* * *

Hah, Kiba's in trouuuubleeee xD Anyway, I thought that was romantic! I hope you guys did, too! Still on a review high, otherwise I wouldn't have stayed up until three in the morning writing this for you guys! Ok, review so I can do this more often! :)

10/14/12: ALRIGHT. This chapter was PRETTY long. Ok? Ok. xD Rate/Review! This chapter was NOT one of my best... bleh! I HATE IT! D:


	28. Boy Fantasies and Girl Problems

_Flashback:_

_Tsume must have been furious, because she sighed:_

_"Well, if there's anyone who knows how to take care of girl problems, it's us."_

_Then, she raised her voice:_

_"KIBA! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"_

_I just shook my head and face-palmed. I knew I was going to get lectured._

_"Shit."_

Chapter 28: Boy Fantasies and Girl Problems

**Kiba's POV**

I stood up and began to walk down the stairs in turmoil.

_"I'm in so much trouble… shit, and my MOM is helping me with all of this. It was embarrassing enough asking my sister..."_

Akamaru was looking up at me with a face that resembled a smirk, and I could only find it in myself to glare down at him.

_"He only laughs at me..."_

As soon as I hit the bottom of the stairs, my mom fixed me with a glare that might as well have been from the devil himself.

"Sit down." She said with anger in her eyes.

I, cautiously, walked over to my purple couch, the most comfortable one, and prepared for what I knew was about to happen.

_"Man, this is embarrassing..."_

"What the hell were you thinking, Kiba?" Tsume sighed, her hand over her face in a disappointed way.

Kuromaru was staring at me with an accusing glare, and I tried not to lock eyes with the dog.

Akamaru sat down on my lap and made himself comfortable, as if he was at a movie theatre about to watch some crazy movie.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to act as if I had no idea what was going on.

She sighed and glared at me again.

"You're trying to deal with losing a girl… without _any_ help? What the hell are you thinking?"

She slid off of the couch facing me and plopped down onto the floor in front of me.

"If you needed advice, you should have come to me."

"But," I muttered. "I already asked Hana…"

Tsume whipped around and glared at Hana, who was looking out of the window, trying not to seem interested in our conversation.

She turned back to me in less than a moment.

"She must not have helped you, then, because all you've been doing lately is making everyone mad at you. You must really, _really_, have it bad for the girl you want…"

My mom's eyes went sharp, as if she was egging me onto something.

It worked; I growled as I thought about her. I hated thinking about her this way, especially now, when I had Hinata. Though, it was as if it was automatic, because I never knew when I'd think about her unless someone mentioned her.

"That's really none of your business, mom. I have it all covered." I muttered, my eyes wandering to the carpet as I studied it.

Tsume crossed her arms across her chest as she sat up, being level with Kuromaru as they sat side-by-side.

"Then, what are you going to do?"

I took a deep breath. There were a million things I wanted to do, but I couldn't do 95% of them. I knew I couldn't. So I decided on solely one thing that would only get more successful over time:

"Nothing. Nothing at all, actually. I decided not to chase her anymore, since she's with another guy, and I'm with another girl-"

"You have a girlfriend?" Hana practically screamed, interrupting my speech.

I glared at her, trying to mentally tell her that I would kill her later.

"Yeah, I do, but that's beside-"

Hana sat down next to Kuromaru eagerly looking up at me.

"What's her name?"

I barely kept myself from face-palming at my stupid sister.

_"Leave it to Hana to ruin an explanation."_

"Hinata Hyuga." I muttered.

Hana's eyes opened wide. "A Hyuga? They're so far out of your league, it's not even _funny!_ How'd you manage… you mean… that blue-haired girl…?"

She suddenly seemed at a loss for words as she realized that the one that I had fallen for wasn't the whole 'rich and well known' type.

Tsume looked surprised.

"So… what's the problem? She must be a nice and well-behaved girl… why are you so upset?"

I took another deep breath.

"I _do_ like her, Hinata that is. In fact, I should go pick her up from her house and take a walk with her or something. But… the other girl… I love her."

The words were now rolling naturally off of my tongue because I think my brain was finally starting to catch up to my heart and it was beginning to understand.

Hana sighed. "There you go with that word again…"

Tsume just frowned, creasing her eyebrows.

"Then… if you... love her... why are you with the Hyuga? That doesn't make any sense…"

I felt myself sigh.

"It was supposed to help… help me with forgetting about that girl. But… it doesn't, and I've gotten myself in too deep, you don't have to tell me that."

Akamaru just stared at me; he seemed as if he knew something, but didn't want to tell me anything.

"So… what are you going to do? Who is barring you from getting with the girl of your dreams?" Tsume asked, her head tilted as if she was asking a question physically.

"Naruto Uzumaki." I almost spit out, still angry about the thought of him screwing me over on purpose, but the more that I thought about it now, the less I believed that.

_"Maybe I WAS overreacting..."_

Hana face-palmed, shaking her head while she was at it.

"That kid is a handful, and it'd take a special person to even _think_ about being with him…"

I almost growled at the way Hana addressed her. Special.

_"I'm the only one who is allowed to call her special. She's special to me..."_

Tsume cut into the conversation as well as my thoughts. "Why don't you fight him for her? Some girls like it when guys do that."

I sighed, again being reminded of the night before.

"I already _did_, mom. That's why I was in the hospital last night."

"So, you're telling me that you got your ass kicked?" She still looked confused, yet slightly disappointed.

I shook my head. "No! In fact, if anything, it was a tie, because the girl… the girl… she protected him, and I… I stabbed her on accident."

Now, _those_ words rolled unwillingly off of my tongue, and Hana's eyes were wide in surprise.

"You must really care about her… to risk getting killed by us two. You stayed with her all night?"

I only nodded; the _last _thing I wanted to do was tell them what I had said to her while I was with her.

Tsume just sighed for the billionth time today. "What's this… girl's name?"

"N-"

I suddenly stopped in the middle of my sentence, thinking things through.

_"If I tell her… they'll NEVER let me live it down! Of course, how could I be so stupid? They won't like her just by her name! Then, they'll be calling me 'cat lover' and everything. How could I live like that? Not only that... but if they EVER insult her..."_

The thought of _that_ left me angry as I muttered:

"She… she doesn't really… have a name."

The lie slipped out as I half-tried to make it sound convincing.

"Well, there's gotta be something that you _call_ her." My sister rolled her eyes.

"I call her… pussy cat, because all she used to do was piss me off. But…" I trailed off, biting my lip nervously. "That name doesn't fit her anymore."

Tsume and Hana started laughing, along with Kuromaru and the other three dogs.

"That's a good, fitting name!" howled Tsume.

"Nothing pisses you off more than cats, right?!" Hana laughed even harder, holding her stomach.

"You guys wouldn't like her anyway…" I muttered so that none could hear. I was _this_ close to killing them... laughing at her. Neko, that is.

I stood up, putting Akamaru on the ground beside me.

"I'm going to go and take a walk with Hinata. The sooner my feelings dissolve for the other girl… the better off we'll both be."

Akamaru jumped on my head, and the two of us walked out of the room, where everyone was still howling with laughter.

"Tch, who do they think they are, trying to help me with my problems?" I was still pretty pissed about that, honestly.

The anger that came with listening to my flesh and blood laugh at her... but I tried to ignore it.

Akamaru barked at me.

_"Huh. Well, once they figure out who it is, I doubt they'll be happy about it."_

I snorted. "No kidding. I'll be screwed, and they'll _both_ hate me. What do _you_ think I should do, buddy?"

Asking Akamaru what I should do... it's not usually something I resort to, but in this case I had to. I had to know what was on his mind.

Akamaru thought about it for a moment, then replied:

_"You'll just yell at me if I suggest it."_

I glanced up at the small dog. "Shoot me."

He gave a small sigh before continuing:

_"Maybe if you just broke up with Hinata and chased Neko from afar, she'd like you back and dump Naruto so you two could be together. It's just a suggestion. DON'T KILL ME."_

My eyes widened at the thought.

"There's about a million problems with that one. I can't just break up with her; she really likes me, and maybe my feelings will change and I'll like her back, because I have no problem dating her; she's pretty, nice and can be kinda funny. Chasing N-Neko from afar will only provoke fights from _multiple_ people, and what are the fucking chances of her dumping that asshole for _me_? What are the chances she even wants anything to _do_ with me?"

Everything just seemed to pour out of me as I sighed:

"I think she really likes him. Maybe even... loves him. I don't think that she'll even look at me the same anymore. I don't think I even have a chance anymore."

The thought of that made me instantly want to take it back and say that there was still hope, but I knew there was _no_ hope.

She was gone.

And I'd let her go.

I hope.

**Neko's POV**

I lifted my head to find that it was now beginning to get really bright outside, so it must have been around noon.

_"Ah… my head feels better. I wonder when I dosed off…"_

I took a moment to look around and saw that I was lying on Naruto's chest, and he was asleep as well.

Smiling, I couldn't help but smile at him and nuzzle my face into his neck.

He smiled in his sleep, and put his arm around me tightly, restricting my airway.

I felt my cheeks heat up instantly as I tried to get out of his tight grasp.

His hold on me tightened, and I growled:

"Ugh, Naruto! Get your hand off of me!"

Naruto began to laugh.

"You're so fun to tease, Neko!"

He let me up and smiled at me, holding me still.

"So… it's like, noon. What do you want to eat?"

I sighed.

"I'm not hungry… how about you? I'll go shopping for some of your ramen." I felt a smile creep up my face as I watched Naruto's eyes widen.

"Really? Because you don't have to do that…"

"For you, yeah, I will. After I get out of these clothes, though." I whispered, as I ran and grabbed a random outfit from my suitcase and jumped into the bathroom to clean up and get ready.

After taking an estimated fourty five minutes to ready myself, I got out in my black skirt that went down to my kneecaps and a plain white shirt.

I had even added a black belt on it and slapped on a small black half-jacket.

Naruto took one look at me and murmured: "You sure are pretty, Neko."

Those words alone were enough to make me blush madly as I kissed him on the cheek.

"Ok… I have money, and I'll be back with your ramen soon enough."

Without waiting for a response, I ran out of his house, making a beeline for the store.

I came up to the Hyuga mansion and slowed as I passed it.

_"Huh… I wonder what they had to DO to get all of that money to afford a nice place like that…"_

I was in awe as I stared at the palace-like mansion where Hinata and a few others lived.

To be completely truthful, I was too busy staring at it as I passed that I didn't notice something in my way and I tripped over it.

_"Shit,"_

I cursed, ready to fall and hit the dirt, but a pair of strong arms caught me as my face was inches away from the ground.

"Watch where you're going, pussy cat," an all-too-familiar voice told me as I felt my heart stop.

**Kiba's POV**

I was walking toward Hinata's house… or… mansion, thinking to myself as Akamaru walked beside me now.

_"Huh. No matter WHAT I try to do… I think I'll always have feelings for her. It hurts, I know, but… she probably wants nothing to do with me, I mean… she has Naruto to take care of her, which I REALLY don't agree with… but it's someone, isn't it? She's not alone, and if he makes her happy... I'll try to be happy, too."_

I was deep in thought, and as if my thoughts had called her, there she was; walking alone in the streets.

An enormous blush stained my cheeks just at the sight of her; for someone who had just gotten out of the hospital, Neko couldn't have gotten any more beautiful even if she tried.

Also… I couldn't stop thinking about her eyes.

_"The best part of her are her eyes. They're so unusual… that it's a little attracting."_

It was so weird how the smallest details of her... they made me go weak in the knees.

Akamaru must have noticed my drunken-like state because he barked up at me: _"Stop staring; she'll see you!"_

I had to tear my eyes away from Neko's beautiful face to glare at the dog.

"Shut up... I can't-"

As I was about to finish my sentence, I watched Neko make an awkward move that told me she was going to fall.

_"Do you REALLY think I'm going to let her get hurt?!"_ I growled at my brain in a moment's time.

Thinking fast, I dashed over and put my arms around her, holding her up.

I felt a blush light up my cheeks once again as I felt her lithe body pressed up against mine.

_"That was close..."_ I thought to myself. If she had fallen and hurt herself right in front of me... my true feelings probably would have come out.

"Watch where you're going, pussy cat," I said, trying not to show any emotion. What I was feeling... it was so different. So much different from when I spent time with Hinata.

Neko was breathing quite hard as I let her up, and she looked at me with wide eyes.

"Uh… thanks, Kiba."

The way that she had said my name was enough to make me give up _anything_ so she would say it again. _"What's my problem?!"_

"Yeah… no problem…" I said through my millions of thoughts as I looked away, trying not to stare at her.

"Bye..." Neko suddenly said, a faint smile on her face; the first time she had smiled at me since I had fucked up.

She ran down the street, and soon disappeared in the crowd of faces.

I stood there for a moment as I stared at my hands.

"I-I got to… hold her in my arms, Akamaru, and… she _smiled_ at me…"

Truthfully, I was almost shaking, and I felt a small blush on my face.

I couldn't stop staring at where Neko had disappeared off to, and I could still feel her body pressed closely to me; on my chest.

Akamaru just rolled his eyes.

_"You're such a lovesick puppy. Get over it, and hang out with your actual GIRLFRIEND."_

The thought knocked me back into reality as I went up to the Hyuga mansion and rang the fancy-looking doorbell.

Neji, of course, got the door, and immediately growled:

"Hinata… it's your… boyfriend…"

He took the time to glare at me one last time and walked away as Hinata took his place at the door in front of me.

"Oh… hello, Kiba!" Hinata smiled with a blush on her face, like normal.

"Hey, Hinata! Do you want to go for a walk?" I felt my voice escape my lips tiredly.

Her face automatically got a thousand times brighter. "Yes, Kiba! Sure!"

I took her hand and began to start out to the park, the only place I knew of at the moment because I tried to get Neko out of my head.

Once there, I led Hinata to a bench near the fountain that was in the middle of it.

"Kiba," she asked me as she sat down.

"Yeah?" I sat down next to her, feeling the sun on my face.

"Um… I just… I just thought that it was weird that… we haven't kissed yet. Not to rush anything… but… I just…"

She rambled on and on as I thought about it.

_"Kiss... I wanted to kiss Neko again..."_

But Akamaru barked at me.

_"Do it!"_

I felt my eyes widen as I thought about how this kiss could possibly make me forget _all_ about Neko. Maybe she did the same thing to help her forget me.

"Well if you wanted a kiss, why didn't you say so?" Hinata blushed, making me smile. "Um… well… I just…"

I leaned in, slowly, and pressed my lips against hers and closed my eyes without a second thought.

**Neko's POV**

"_Kiba… did he just… hold me?"_

I asked myself, desperately wanting to get away to from the scene.

_"I didn't even see him there, near me."_

The only thing I could think of was the look in his eyes; as if he wanted to tell me a million things, but he couldn't.

Blindly, I ran to the store, and once I had gotten the ramen that Naruto wanted the most, which was Instant Miso Ramen, I couldn't stop thinking about who I would choose if I got the choice right there and then.

"_Naruto… easily, I'd pick him over Kiba. Obviously, I'm jealous and everything that Kiba picked Hinata over me in the worst way possible, and that they're together and everything, but… I like Naruto, and it could potentially turn into more than that. Forget Kiba."_

I smiled to myself at the last line, and I hurried back to Naruto's house.

Inside, Talon was scratching the wall with a mischievous look on her face, and Naruto was saying:

"Shut up, Talon; I'm NOT feeding you anything until I get my ramen."

I sighed. "Well, here it is."

Naruto nearly jumped as turned to me:

"Oh… you're home already? Yay!"

He jumped off of the couch and ran over to me. He grabbed the ramen and held it to his chest.

"Just the ramen I wanted! It's like you can read my _mind,_ Neko! Thank you."

Naruto kissed me on the cheek and began to make the ramen.

I glanced at Talon, whose eyes told me that she was starving, and I grabbed some rice from the cabinet.

"Here you go," I murmured as I poured it into a small cup and put it on the floor.

Talon happily began eating and I smiled as I watched this, when I suddenly felt arms around me.

Naruto was holding me close to him as he asked: "Hmm… Neko, do you want to go to the park? Because I feel like fresh air."

"Sure, Naruto, but… I'll wait till you're done with your ramen and Talon is done with her rice, ok?"

He smiled again, caringly.

"No problem."

The timer went off, signaling that the ramen was done, and I couldn't help but laugh.

I sat next to him as he ate it in a hurry, and Talon walked around after finishing her meal.

"Let's go!" Naruto fist pumped, and led me out of his house quickly.

I grasped onto his hand; it was warm and soft.

_"Just like..."_

I closed my eyes, trying not to think of every feature of his face that I had traced the night we were together.

_"I miss him..."_

Naruto turned back, waking me up, and winked at me.

"I'll beat you there."

The sentence immediately woke me up as Naruto took off in a full sprint toward the park.

I glanced at Talon, who was walking beside me.

"Oh, _hell_ no. Since _when_ do we let Naruto win?"

We began to sprint toward the park as well, passing Naruto with ease as we beat him there.

Naruto came to a stop beside me, panting.

"Man, Neko… you always beat me. I bet you could beat Bushy Brows in a race!"

But I barely even heard him; I was much too busy staring at the sight in front of me; Kiba and Hinata were sitting on a park bench. Kissing.

The sight broke me.

My heart committed suicide in my chest as I watched.

* * *

Dun, dun, DUUUNNNN. xD I got everything from here on out PLANNED. Heh. This story ish a success! Ok. Yeah. Rate/Review. I know this chapter was kinda crappy, but the one before this one was badass! D: RATE. AND. REVIEW. Press that button. :)

10/15/12: That was terrible. It was painful as hell to type this whole chapter knowing that I would curse everyone reading it :( It's THAT bad. Yeah. Rate/Review.


	29. Awkward

_Flashback:_

_We began to sprint toward the park as well, passing Naruto with ease as we beat him there._

_Naruto came to a stop beside me, panting._

_"Man, Neko… you always beat me. I bet you could beat Bushy Brows in a race!"_

_But I barely even heard him; I was much too busy staring at the sight in front of me; Kiba and Hinata were sitting on a park bench. Kissing._

_The sight broke me._

_My heart committed suicide in my chest as I watched._

Chapter 29: Awkward

**Neko's POV**

All I felt at the moment was anger toward everything in the world.

_"Why am I so jealous? I shouldn't be. It's nothing. He's just kissing his girlfriend, like Naruto kisses me. Nothing special."_

I tried to shrug it off, but no matter what I did, it still hurt like hell.

Glancing over, I noticed that Naruto hadn't looked up yet.

_"There's still time. I don't want to hang out with them… I might just die."_

"Hey, Naruto," I started. "I-I don't think the park is the best idea…"

"Hey! Hinata! Kiba! Over here!"

I almost face-palmed when the couple pulled apart suddenly and stared at Naruto, who had completely ignored me just now.

Talon looked up at me and rolled her eyes, looking as pissed off as I felt.

Naruto was waving to them. "Hey, guys! I didn't expect to see _you_ here."

Hinata got up and ran up to the two of us.

"Naruto, Neko! Whatcha doing here?!" She was blushing like crazy.

The sight suggested that I knew exactly why as I looked down at my feet in jealous anger.

_"Kiba IS a good kisser… I'm not surprised that she felt somethng. I sure did..."_

Naruto was laughing, and had his hands behind his head when I tuned back in.

"Oh… you know… just walking around, probably going to chill out here and watch the clouds, like Shik would be doing if he was here! That bastard just _had_ to go to boring old Suna!"

I couldn't agree more:

_"It's as if as soon as he left, everything just got a hell of a lot more complicated than it already was. I wish I decided to go with them…"_

But I knew exactly why I hadn't gone. I wanted to see his face. Both of them. I couldn't have just left them... it was hard to explain.

Kiba sauntered up to our trio, looking totally normal, as if nothing had ever happened in his life to make him upset, and Naruto gave him an unreadable look.

"Hey, Kiba."

Kiba returned that look. "Hey, Naruto."

I can't believe I waited for him to say hi to me, too.

I wasn't surprised when he didn't, either.

_"How dumb am I to think he actually WOULD?!" _I sighed; what should I have expected? The welcome wagon? For Kiba to walk up to me and welcome me like I was an old friend? Psh, no.

_"He's probably just boasting about everything that just happened in front of me in his head. Probably telling me to look at him now; we're even."_

I felt tears beginning to build up in my eyes, but I decided to try not to let them show.

_"Not now,"_ I begged myself. _"Any time but now."_

Talon meowed a greeting to Akamaru, and he returned it with a dog-like smile and started wagging his tail.

Without a second thought as I tried to make it less awkward, I observed the park, as well as the people in it:

Naruto and Hinata were hugging and chatting like old friends, discussing plans and things that they were doing that day, and Kiba was just looking at Akamaru, thinking.

I looked away from that sight. _"Stop looking at him. It's not going to get you anywhere, you know."_ I reminded myself.

Kiba suddenly looked up at me, causing me to snap my head up and look at him, too.

When our eyes met, his got wider and his mouth went almost ajar as his eyes searched mine. His eyebrows had just began to crease when my thoughts could be heard over my beating heart:

_"What is he looking at?"_

As if nothing had ever happened, Kiba looked away and surveyed the park around us.

I couldn't keep an almost mute sigh out of my breathing pattern as I forced myself to look away as well.

All was quiet, and unbelievably, there was nearly no one in the park.

Glancing at Naruto, I could see that he was chatting up a _storm_ with Hinata, and I would be a liar to say that it didn't make me jealous.

_"So… she's talking to my boyfriend, while I'm just sitting here, looking stupid?"_

Then, I quickly corrected myself, flinching at the way I had snapped at myself. _"No. No, you sound obsessed; like an obnoxiously jealous girlfriend."_

It was only getting more and more awkward by the moment as I glanced at Kiba again, who seemed to be purposely avoiding my gaze as well.

I straightened up and walked up to him, giving into my heart.

I _had_ to talk to him, or it would tear me apart.

"Uh… so… congratulations on your first kiss with Hinata."

**Kiba's POV**

As soon as I pulled apart from Hinata, I felt terrible; _why_ did Naruto have to ruin _everything?_

I watched as Hinata ran up to that idiot and began to have a conversation with him.

_"Tch..."_

Honestly, I couldn't help but feel jealousy sear me. _"Naruto is a fucking idiot. Ruining that kiss…"_

I surveyed the area for no more than a moment as I noticed Neko standing next to him, looking distraught.

"_Please tell me… she didn't see that kiss. Please."_

Though her face was blank, as if she didn't know what to feel.

_"Damn,"_ I cursed myself as I watched Naruto and Hinata start talking nearly endlessly.

It made me a little bit jealous, but it wasn't something that I was willing to worry about as I felt my heart convulse in my chest at the very _sight_ of Neko.

_"Is it even possible to miss someone this much?!"_

I walked up to the group, trying to seem calm when I was actually dying on the inside.

As soon as I reached them, Akamaru barked a _"Hello!"_ at Talon, and she meowed something along the lines of the same back at him.

The longer I stood there without talking... the longer I debated with myself if I should or shouldn't... look up at Neko.

_"Just for a moment,"_ I begged myself.

I _needed_ to see her face.

My head shot up, faster than I would have liked, and my eyes met hers.

When our eyes met, I felt my eyes widen as her wide eyes widened even more as well.

I felt my heartbeat speed up substantially as I stared at her for a moment longer, and then I looked away, trying to prevent the blush I knew was coming.

_"Why can't I stop staring at her?"_

After my silent stare at Neko, I glanced at Hinata, who was still engrossed in a conversation with Naruto, and suddenly, I heard a voice that was nothing but heaven:

"Congratulations on your first kiss with Hinata."

I looked forward to see Neko standing right in front of me, having the faintest trace of a frown on her face.

All I honestly really wanted to do at that moment was make her smile, but I _knew_ I couldn't do that.

_"It hurts even more... knowing she probably doesn't want me in the way I so desperately want her..."_

"Yeah, thanks." was all that I could choke out.

She looked away quickly for a moment, her bangs swishing lightly as they shaped her beautiful face.

"You're welcome."

The way she said it made me almost wrap my arms around her.

_"Neko..."_

I found myself trying out her name... in different tones. In my head. First softly... then like I was angry... then to an upset tone... and everything in between.

"Yeah… how have you been?" I asked suddenly, trying to sound friendly and happy, and also trying to make myself stop from doing something I'd regret.

Neko only looked up at me, and I thought for an instant that I saw tears in her eyes. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"Oh, the usual. I'm fine, too."

I hadn't noticed that Hinata and Naruto had stopped talking until I felt their stares on Neko and I.

The two of us seemed to turn simultaneously, and Hinata was smiling at me as she took my arm.

"Let's go sit over there! Naruto and Neko are coming over here, too!"

I couldn't do anything except for oblige, and felt a small frown plaster my face as I was led away from Neko.

Beautiful... beautiful Neko.

**Neko's POV**

After that conversation with Kiba, I felt a little bit disconcerted.

_"I can't… it hurts to talk to him. It hurts to even LOOK at him."_

Naruto looked at me as he grabbed my hand. "Is anything wrong?"

I looked up at him and saw only concern for me in his blue eyes.

"No, Naruto," I murmured. "I'm fine."

He only stared at me for a moment longer until he led me over to where Kiba and Hinata were sitting, the two looking quite snuggled up as they sat close to each other.

"_I can't deal with this anymore,"_ I thought, desperately.

Feeling numb, I tried to pull out of Naruto's hold on my hand, but I couldn't seem to do it, no matter how much I had to get out of there.

Naruto looked at me and asked, his mouth agape only a little bit: "Seriously; what's your problem?!"

I felt tears begin to spill out of my eyes, but I wiped them away quickly.

Not quickly enough.

Naruto widened his eyes. "Why are you crying?"

I looked away from him. "I'm... I'm not. It's fine, Naruto."

He stared at me for a moment, then sighed: "Fine."

We finally made it over to the other two, who were sitting on the rim of the fountain that was in the middle of the park.

"…enjoy being with you," Hinata was saying to Kiba as Naruto and I made our way over to them.

I just closed my eyes for a brief moment; what the hell was I supposed to do?

_"Why do I have to listen to them be together?! Can I just leave so I don't have to watch?"_

Biting my lip, I forced myself to stay strong.

Naruto looked at Hinata like she was crazy and tilted his head, asking a physical question.

"You enjoy being with who, Hinata?"

Hinata looked up with her eyes wide, as if she hadn't expected Naruto to say something like that.

"O-oh… I was talking to Kiba, but I enjoy being with all of you."

She gave a small smile, one that Kiba returned, and kissed her on the cheek for a moment.

I almost couldn't control the wave of jealousy that overcame me and I began to slightly shake, but Naruto held my hand tighter, making me look up at him for a moment.

Our eyes met again and he almost glared at me, like he _knew_ what was up.

_"He... he CAN'T know... can he?!"_

The thought terrified me as Naruto led me over to sit by Hinata.

She smiled at me happily, and I almost wanted to cry at how happy she looked.

However, somehow, I managed to smile back at her.

_"How am I smiling when I'm dying on the inside…?" _I asked myself, trying not to let any of my held back tears show.

Naruto was glaring at Kiba; I could tell that by the look in Kiba's eyes from behind Hinata.

Though, when he noticed that I was staring at him, his eyes flicked to me and back to Naruto, making me shiver almost.

Suddenly, Naruto laughed. "Hey, guys… I have an idea; why don't we have a group gathering event?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Don't you mean a… 'party', Naruto?"

Naruto huffed. "Oh, who asked you? Anyway, what do you all say?"

I turned and nodded to him; I couldn't speak because of the certain lump in my throat.

_"If I talk... I'll cry..."_

Hinata smiled widely. "That's a _great_ idea! Where will we have it?! Who is going to come?"

"We can have it at my house." Someone had said from behind Kiba, and all of us turned to see none other than Ino Yamanaka.

_"...INO?!"_

I had to stop myself from snorting; I had never really cared for Ino… maybe it was the slutty-looking clothes and her attitude, the endless flirting… or maybe it was just everything about her? I had no idea.

Hinata looked up at Ino and smiled politely.

"That'd be awesome! When can you have it?"

Ino looked up, thinking for a moment, shrugged.

"I could have it tomorrow night! My parents are out on a mission, so it could maybe be a sleepover! Everyone can come…"

She made a provocative smile suddenly. "If you know what I mean…"

Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted. "Stuff it, blondie. Don't be so pervy. Anyway, yeah, that'd be so much fun."

His face automatically brightened into a smile as he looked at me. "Do you wanna go?"

I took a moment to think about it; this was Ino. I had been to a few of her parties, and usually they included snogging.

Though, that may be just what I need to get everything off of my mind.

Without a second thought, I nodded.

Hinata grabbed onto Kiba's arm. "Yeah! Kiba, can we go, too?!"

Kiba smiled at her. "Sure."

Ino swooned and looked between Hinata and Kiba. "You two make a good couple."

That made me flinch, but it wasn't anything serious.

_"Ugh... I've gotta stop thinking about him... them... I have to concentrate on Naruto and I!"_

Hinata blushed. "Thank you!" and Kiba just closed his eyes, as if he was thinking deeply about something.

Naruto huffed. "Thanks for complimenting _us, _Ino."

Ino just rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Naruto. You two are alright, but not as good of a couple as them," she motioned with her head toward the other two.

"_Not as good of a couple as them."_

Those words hit me _hard._

Harder than anything had ever hit me before.

I felt my heart drop to my stomach and be digested into pieces, and I suddenly felt the need to throw up.

Without another thought, I jumped off of the fountain and began running down the street.

Naruto was yelling my name. "Neko! What the hell are you doing?! Where are you going?"

"What's up with _her?_" I barely made out Ino's voice as I turned a corner.

_"Why would she say what she said about Naruto and I?! What is it that makes us a terrible couple?!"_

I kept running down the street, took out the key that Shika had entrusted me with, and hurried to Shika's house.

When I opened the door, I made _sure_ to lock it.

"Sh-shit," I tried to curse, but I was shaking too violently.

I stood up, but I tripped over my own feet, making me fall and bump my ankle on the floor's hard surface.

"Ouch," i whispered, but I knew that that pain was _nothing_ compared to what Kiba had made me feel, and what Ino had said about Naruto and I only minutes ago.

Tears began to spring out of my eyes and I heard whimpers of pain escape from my lips.

_"Where the hell is Shika when you ACTUALLY need him?"_

All of a sudden, all of the pain went away, as if I was regaining my strength.

I gasped and stood up, holding myself. _"It's ok. It's ok. I'll be fine. Nothing else like this will happen. If you keep running away from this kind of problem, then you'll never heal. Yeah, that sounds like something Shika would say…"_

I felt calm now; the excruciating pain that I had just felt was nothing more than an ache now.

_"I can't stay here alone,"_ I began to whimper again. _"Who knows what's going to happen?! I become unpredictable when I'm alone…"_

Without a second thought, I fled out of the house and continued to run back to the park.

**Kiba's POV**

"_Where'd she go…?"_ I asked myself as I watched her disappear from sight.

Akamaru was sitting behind me as he whined, trying to stay quiet. _"She looked sick…"_

I felt pain sear my heart. "Oh…"

Hinata was looking in the same direction as I was. "I wonder what's up…"

Ino looked questioning. "Was it something I said?"

Naruto growled, looking quite fierce. "Yes it was, Ino. You upset her! You made her think that she isn't a good match for me…"

Ino looked taken aback. "Well, sor-_rry_!"

Hinata only sighed.

"I've never seen anyone with such a pain-stricken face…"

"Me either…" I whispered.

_"And it's sure as hell true. I never thought Neko was so sensitive; after all of the shit that I used to tell her back before I could stand her… I thought she was stronger than this. Not that she's weak. She sure as hell is anything but… but I guess her past just made her sensitive to comments such as that."_

I sighed aloud, and Ino glanced back at me. "What's up, dog boy?"

I tried not to growl; I wasn't Ino's biggest fan or anything, but I could stand her. Barely.

"Nothing, Ino… just… wondering what's been up with Neko these days." I felt my eyes widen at the sudden feeling of wanting to drown myself in the fountain we were sitting on; did I seriously just say that?!

_"Dumbass!"_

Naruto snorted at me. "Yeah, I sure as hell bet you are."

I glared up at him. "What did you just say, idiot?!"

Naruto met my eyes, a scowl present in them. "I said… I _bet _you're worried about her. Yeah, ever since we got together, you've been nothing but a jealous sack of shit. I can see it in your face."

Rashly, I stood up, feeling rage take over.

"What the hell?! Why would I be jealous of you and that _stupid_ cat?! I have Hinata, and she's all that I need. What the hell is up with you and thinking that I'm so fucking jealous of your fucking relationship?! I couldn't fucking care less!"

Akamaru just sighed. _"Kiba… why do you always yell in situations like this?"_

Naruto, Hinata, and Ino were both staring at me with wide eyes, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"Sorry. I-I'll just… see you guys at the party tomorrow… when should I come over, Ino?"

Ino still looked taken aback and she shrugged.

"Um… probably around 8."

Without another word, I nodded and hurried off, running back to my house full speed.

Akamaru was beside me. _"What the hell was that?!"_

I sighed again. "I guess… I went overboard… I mean, everything he fucking said was true, buddy. It hurts to hear it repeated to me. I'm nothing _but_ jealous. I guess that's what you get when you fuck everything up with the girl that you love."

As we neared our house, Akamaru barked: _"I know it hurts… but I'd control your emotions better if I were you. It'll come back to bite you in the ass someday."_

I shrugged. "I don't wanna hear it. I just want to sleep until the party."

Akamaru rolled his eyes and barked back: _"You can't sleep 24 hours. That's just plain not healthy."_

I growled, grinding my teeth together now. "Don't even get me _started_ on things that aren't fucking healthy."

The two of us burst into our house, and Tsume remarked as she watched me hurry to the stairs:

"You look like you're in a hurry."

Honestly, I couldn't help but glare at her, and Akamaru whimpered, only clear enough for me to hear: _"Control your temper."_

I exhaled and tore my eyes from my mom, walking up the stairs.

Hana had been downstairs at the time, and I heard her voice. "I wonder what could have happened _now…"_

I almost yelled profanity back down the stairs, but I controlled my temper enough until I got into my room.

There was a punching bag hanging from a far wall, but I only hit that thing when I was in _real_ stress, like now.

Without thinking about it, I shrugged off my jacket, and threw a punch at the bag, but it still didn't budge.

I bared my teeth as I thought of the one person I wanted to kill. _"Naruto. I'll beat the fucking shit out of him."_

With that, I began to hit the bag with more and more force each time, and soon, I found that I couldn't stop.

**Neko's POV**

As soon as I reached the fountain again, I noticed one thing; Kiba.

He was gone.

The three remaining looked pretty upset and flustered, but as I neared Naruto, he was saying in a pissy tone:

"That idiot. He should know better than to fuck around with me. I'll kick his ass."

Naruto looked up and saw me heading toward him, and it was like his persona automatically changed. "Hey. Are you feeling better?"

He asked this with a worried look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm ok." I said, still feeling a little sick to my stomach as I asked a nearly forbidden question: "Where'd Kiba go?"

Ino stuck up her nose as she crossed her arms. "He and Naruto got into a-"

Naruto cut in, glaring at me with a grimace that might as well have been death.

"Oh, so _you're_ worried about _him_, too?! What the hell are you, secretly dating him or something? Cheating on me?!"

I couldn't believe the way that he had snapped at me as I widened my eyes and wrapped my arms across my chest, trying to hide my feelings.

_"What's gotten into him?"_

Hinata's eyes were wide as she tried to intervene: "Naruto… you're being… ridiculous."

He glared at her, too, but he didn't say anything.

Ino said, walking away quickly. "I'll just see you guys at the party."

I would guess she was trying to avoid anything she may or may want to not see.

Though, Ino was the last thing on my mind as I felt more tears coming down my cheeks.

"I-I was just… wondering…"

But Naruto wasn't having it.

"Why didn't I see it before?! Maybe it was the way that you two worked together in the mission that made you two want to be together in secret! Little kitty and little puppy sleeping together!"

His blue eyes were fire as they burned into my skin.

"We're _not_ together, Naruto! Why would you say something like that?!" I cried, feeling tears falling out of my eyes and falling onto my shirt.

Naruto stuck me with a glare so intense, it hurt.

Without another thought, I turned around and ran.

I ran all the way back to Naruto's house and hid in a closet.

_"I can't do this anymore. I really can't; it hurts. I care about Kiba... does Naruto know anything?! Maybe he'll break up with me..."_

The thought hurt me, yet it also soothed me.

I tried not to overthink as I kept crying, until my head lolled to the side and I fell asleep.

**Kiba's POV**

My fists were burning, and so was my heart as I continuously beat this thing into a pulp.

_"I wonder how the fuck Lee does this all day. It fucking hurts."_

I looked down at my knuckles; they were bleeding like crazy as I wiped them onto my shirt, ready to kick this bag's ass.

Akamaru had been watching all of this with an unreadable expression on his face, as he barked at me: _"What the hell are you torturing yourself for?"_

I looked at the little dog with an expression that felt much like the hate that I hated Naruto with at the moment.

"I want to beat Naruto until he can't do anything anymore. So he can't fuck everything up. He should fucking know better than to make me mad."

Akamaru just sighed.

_"Kiba… just go to bed. It's already midnight. You have to look ok for the party tomorrow."_

I took a deep breath. "Why should I even go?! Naruto and I will probably get into a fight if he looks at me wrong."

Akamaru curled up into a ball at the edge of my bed.

_"Fine, but I guess this means that you don't have any chance at even remotely talking to Neko if she's even there. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take... Maybe… if you went, you'd play a little 7 minutes in heaven and end up getting her?"_

I glared at him, thinking about how cruel he was to stick me with a thought like that.

"Tch, shut up, boy. That's not funny." I felt my cheeks blazing in a blush, and Akamaru got up in time to catch it.

He let out a little doggy laugh and barked: _"Heh. Go dream about it, kid."_

I just growled and fell onto my bed dramatically.

"_Dream about it? Why the hell would I do that? I mean… I guess I could kiss her… I like the way her lips feel… They're pretty soft... so is her hair... and her entire face..."_

I was asleep before I could even finish my thought about how beautiful she was.

Neko Inari.

Heh.

Even her name was beautiful.

* * *

Sorry I haven't updated! D: MAJOR writer's block on this one, but I got it covered, my friends. Thank you for the ego-boosting reviews, they SERIOUSLY helped me. Keep 'em coming! :) Rate/Review!

10/16/12: Mhm. This chapter was BORING. Ok?! BORING. By chapter 31, I'll actually LIKE editing these things!


	30. Party!

_Flashback:_

_"Fine, but I guess this means that you don't have any chance at even remotely talking to Neko if she's even there. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take... Maybe… if you went, you'd play a little 7 minutes in heaven and end up getting her?"_

_I glared at him, thinking about how cruel he was to stick me with a thought like that._

_"Tch, shut up, boy. That's not funny." I felt my cheeks blazing in a blush, and Akamaru got up in time to catch it._

_He let out a little doggy laugh and barked: "Heh. Go dream about it, kid."_

_I just growled and fell onto my bed dramatically._

_"Dream about it? Why the hell would I do that? I mean… I guess I could kiss her… I like the way her lips feel… They're pretty soft... so is her hair... and her entire face..."_

_I was asleep before I could even finish my thought about how beautiful she was._

_Neko Inari._

_Heh._

_Even her name was beautiful._

Chapter 30: Party!

**Neko's POV**

I had woken up in Naruto's closet with a blanket over my shoulders. Tears still stained my face and I realized I had slept in until noon.

That's when I realized, in a hurry, that I needed to get some clothes for that night!

I literally jumped out of the closet to a tired-looking Naruto.

His blue eyes were dull and nearly lifeless, as if he had almost nothing to live for.

He opened his mouth to speak to me, but before I'd have to be stuck with him, I decided to go get changed, _then_ go shopping with some of the money that I had stashed in my suitcase.

I pushed past him as he murmured my name.

"Neko..."

As I ignored him, I raced up the stairs.

_"How could he think... that I was with Kiba?"_

To be honest, I was still very upset and stunned at what Naruto thought.

I, quickly, changed into normal, light blue shorts and a white shirt.

Without another thought, I rushed out of the door before Naruto could barely look at me, and rushed to the mall.

_"I have to look nice for this party..."_

After probably 5 hours at the mall, I had finally decided on a blue and white dress with spaghetti straps.

The blue was like an abstract painting across the bottom of the dress, which was kind of poufy, with a blue waist-tie.

The neckline was just straight across, making it comfortable.

While I was at it, I grabbed a white bow from a rack behind it.

"_Good thing it's on sale,"_ I thought, looking at the money in my hand. The dress was perfect.

Once I got up to the counter, I gave the dress to a male cashier, his name Tatsuya apparently.

"Oh, do you have a date tonight?" His hazel eyes pierced me as he smiled a friendly grin my way.

"No," I replied. "Actually, I'm going to a party."

He smiled another one of those Colgate toothpaste smiles. "Well, I'm sure you'll look beautiful."

I felt myself blush at his friendly comment. "T-thank you!"

He laughed at my blush and handed the dress and the bow back to me, whereas I gave him all the money that was needed.

Once he had counted it all up, he smiled yet again. "Have a good day!"

I ran out of the store, thinking in my head:

_"I hope I look ok… usually Temari helps me with this sort of thing, and it's almost 5! It'll take me 3 hours to get READY!"_

As I hauled ass, I reached Naruto's house, where I discovered that he wasn't home.

I breathed a sigh of relief; any time away from him was good at this point.

Talon merely glanced up at me and meowed a greeting, and I muttered:

"I'll be going to a party tonight... and I want you to stay here, ok?"

She consented by meowing again and laying her head down to sleep.

I then ran into an empty room that Naruto had, and took my suitcase with me, and I discovered that it was filled with everything that I needed; my straightening iron and any other article of clothing that I thought could look good.

It took me two and a half hours to get completely ready, and I finally settled on a small silver bracelet around my left wrist, and I straightened my hair like it had never been straightened before; I didn't even know it could _get_ that shiny.

Also, I put the bow in my hair, and it made me look… different. Like a princess.

I smiled at my own success and began to check myself over.

_"Maybe a little perfume could help me…"_ I thought, feeling on top of the world.

I picked up a bottle from my suitcase and sprayed it on myself, sighing as I took the first whiff of it; it smelled like the trees in the fall.

_"I can't wait."_

I then rushed into the bathroom, brushing my teeth not once, not twice, but _three_ times to ensure they would be shiny.

Coming out of the bathroom, I found Naruto standing there in a gray t-shirt and white shorts with a few pockets.

He didn't even have his headband on.

I stopped and watched his cheeks turn bright red, and I walked by him, looking at the position of the sun.

_"It must be around 7:50. I better get to Ino's!"_

Not caring if Naruto was behind me or anything, I walked out the door.

As I walked by people in the streets, I got compliments, such as:

"You look so nice today!"

"Your hair is _so_ shiny!"

"That's the _cutest_ dress."

Some kids, even, came up to me and tugged on the skirt of my dress.

"Lady… you're pretty." One of the girls said.

"Can I marry you?" asked one of the boys.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you… and you're too young."

Though, I gave the now-crestfallen boy a smile. "But… when you get older, you'll find a girl who loves you. Then, you'll marry her."

The boy smiled widely and ran ahead, waving back. "Thank you, kind lady!"

The girl waved, too. "Take care!"

I waved back at them, feeling a smile light up my face, and happy tears fall from my eyes.

_"I don't know what it was that those kids said, but it struck a heart nerve... but the part about finding a girl that loves him... I wonder if Kiba thinks the same?"_

Quickly, I snapped that thought out of my mind, though, concentrating on other things.

Eventually, I reached Ino's house at the exact allotted time, and Ino answered the door in a white, pink lined mini skirt, and a white, plain half shirt that showed her naval.

"Oh. My. God." She gasped as she opened the door to see me.

"You. Look. GORGEOUS!" She practically screamed the last part, and I couldn't hold back a smile.

"You really think so?"

Ino smiled back. "Of course! I think everything that you did to yourself is _made_ for you! You should look like this every day!"

A smirk now played on my lips. "Too much work to do this every day!"

Ino laughed and made a pathway so I could come in. "C'mon in! The only one's here so far are Sakura, Lee, and he looks absolutely _dashing,_ and I, of course."

I stepped in Ino's house, and saw _anything and everything _needed for a party; soda, chips, food in general, a large enough space to fit a truck for dancing, blaring music… she had everything down!

Sakura came out of the kitchen holding hands with Lee; an unlikely sight to see, but it made sense; Lee had cut his hair to make it into a slick, bad boy 'do.

Also, he had on a white tank top, which showed his _super_ toned abs, and some beige cargo shorts and gloves over some of his bandages.

Sakura had on her normal outfit, so there wasn't much of a change, but her hair looked shinier than normal.

"Neko!" gasped Lee and Sakura at the same time.

I smiled; they were a good couple. I had to admit it. Honestly, I didn't know how long Lee had been going on about protecting Sakura and making her his girlfriend, but now that I saw them together, it made sense.

Ino smiled at all of us.

"Alright, make yourselves at home!"

I took a seat on the couch. "Hey, Ino… how many others did you invite?"

She just smirked at me. "Everyone." And walked into the kitchen.

I almost face-palmed; _everyone._ Oh. Shit.

**Kiba's POV**

No matter how early I had wanted to be at the party, I got up at 6:30, believe it or not, and realized the time and what I had to do. Gasping, I and threw my leaf headband at my pillow and ran into my closet.

I grabbed a plain, white shirt, and some gray shorts with lots of pockets, and had started to brush my hair before Hana came upstairs.

"Why the hell did you sleep in so late? And why are you brushing your hair…?"

I looked up at her. "I'm going to a party."

Hana threw her hands up in exasperation. "When does it start?"

I was now brushing my teeth. "8."

Hana was now face-palming as she sighed: "Get in the shower! You gotta wash your hair!"

Almost mimicking her, I sighed as well.

"Ok… but don't watch."

I couldn't suppress a wink, which made Hana push me as she slammed the bathroom door in my face.

"Heh," I snickered to myself.

I showered rather quickly, knowing that I might not have time to do anything before I left if I didn't hurry up. I had cleaned myself and washed my hair, and when I got out, I put on some of this 'special cologne' that I only used for 'special occasions', and then brushed my hair to at least make it look somewhat less bushy.

Finally, I put my clothes back on _again_ and rushed down the steps.

"Akamaru, you can't come; you'll make fun of me." I muttered to my dog.

Akamaru had been laughing at me the whole time that I was getting dressed and everything.

_"At least I have taste."_ Akamaru howled in laughter.

I felt my teeth grind together, but Akamaru was the least of my problems; if I didn't go, then Hinata would probably go to the party without me, which was _not_ something I'd like to happen.

Tsume was downstairs, brushing Kuromaru. "So… where are _you_ going, sleeping beauty?"

I growled at the insult. "I'm going to a party."

She laughed at me, similar to Akamaru. "Heh. Watch out; make sure you feel lucky if you play 7 minutes in heaven."

Akamaru began to laugh again, remembering what he had told me the night before, and I blushed at the reminder of my dream.

_"Do they HAVE to make things worse?!"_

Without another word, I rushed outside, leaving Akamaru behind, and ran down the streets.

As soon as I stopped in front of the Hyuga mansion no more than three minutes later, Neji and Hinata walked out.

Hinata was wearing a shimmering blue-ish gray off the shoulder dress that was plain, but it suited her, and Neji just had his normal outfit on like he couldn't care less, which he probably couldn't.

"Kiba!" Hinata exclaimed when she saw me.

"Hey," I smiled when we locked eyes.

She hurried up to me and gave me a hug. "Hmm… you smell good."

I laughed. "It's my cologne."

Neji just glared at the two of us as we walked to Ino's place until I muttered:

"Huh… Neji, just ask Tenten out already. Don't be so jealous."

Hinata snickered, and Neji turned pink.

"Quiet, Inuzuka." He growled as he walked ahead of us.

"We're ten freaking minutes late." Neji kept ranting.

Hinata squeaked. "That means that lots of people are already there."

I took her hand. "Don't freak out… it'll be alright. There's no need to be shy."

Hinata blushed and looked up at me with a look that only had happiness and affection toward me.

For a moment, everything was forgotten as I smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

Suddenly, a certain blonde knucklehead passed them in an angry-like manner.

_"Naruto."_ I snorted.

Neji laughed when he saw him, but Naruto just growled in response: "Piss off, Hyuga." And sped past him.

Once the three of us reached Ino's residence, the house was shaking with the song "Don't Stop," by Innerpartysystem.

"Not a bad music choice," I thought aloud.

Hinata just smiled as Neji knocked on the door.

Ino automatically came to the door, as if she had been waiting there. "Hey guys! C'mon in; you're the last ones to get here! The party is just getting started."

She smiled when she saw everyone's attire, and Ino added as I passed her, whispering in my ear: "You and Hinata look _great_ together."

All I could do was nod as we walked in.

It was a complete mess; everyone was dancing except for one girl who caught my eye almost immediately: Neko.

_"She's beautiful,"_ I breathed, so no one would hear me.

At that moment, all I wanted to do was talk to her, but Naruto was here, and it would only make him mad and everything.

I could only watch from afar as Shino asked her to dance with him.

Being the nice girl that she was, she accepted, and they began to dance together.

_"Damn you, Shino,"_ I growled in my head as I watched him take her waist, but before I could watch any more, Hinata tugged on my arm.

"Let's dance!" I nodded and led her out onto the dance floor, and put my hands on her waist.

We began to slow dance together, and at the moment, nothing else was on my mind.

_"Maybe finally... just finally... I'm starting to forget about Neko. One step at a time."_

**Neko's POV**

All I could do was sit as people filed into Ino's house like it was an airport.

That is, until Shino asked me to dance.

I was about to refuse, but when I saw Naruto over there dancing with Ino, I shrugged.

"Sure," I gave him a smile.

He took my hand silently and led me to an abandoned corner of the dance floor and began to sway me with him.

_"This is nice and relaxing, and I have no reason to think that Shino is a bad guy… he's actually nice once you get to know him."_

We swayed for a while until Shino muttered: "Ok. Thank you."

I watched as he smiled a small smile, then made his way through the crowd.

I smiled for a moment, and then looked around for more people that I knew, and saw Naruto talking with Hinata.

Automatically, I looked around for Kiba and found him sitting with Choji, eating chips like normal.

Honestly, I almost turned up my nose, but I stopped myself from doing something _that_ bitchy.

_"Psh. He acts as if nothing ever happened between us. I can't believe I was having an angst over him the other day! As if I'd like him again… feelings are so stupid."_

Then, I glanced at Naruto, who was laughing and talking with Hinata, and thought:

_"I should have broken up with him the moment that he said those things to me yesterday. He has no idea how much that hurt."_

Naruto was holding what looked like red punch in a cup, and when I saw the happy look on his face, I instantly felt sorry.

"_Maybe I should go and apologize to him. You know… for… no speaking to him today. Even if I dumped him, where the hell would I stay? He's given me so much hospitality… I really should thank him, too."_

I walked up to Naruto, who was still laughing with Hinata, and whispered: "Hey, um… Naruto-" but it must have surprised him, coming up from almost behind him, because when he turned around, he spilled all of the red stuff in his cup all over my white dress and my face.

The sight of this made almost everyone turn around, and I felt an embarrassed blush light my cheeks.

Embarrassed suddenly went to angry, and before Naruto could apologize, I bolted out of the door.

_"How could ANYONE see me in this?"_ I felt tears spilling down my cheeks at the embarrassing moment of everyone in the room staring at me.

As I fled down the street, I tried to take the backroads, avoiding human contact as much as possible.

**Kiba's POV**

I was having a heart-to-heart conversation with Choji, when the room suddenly went semi-silent.

I looked up in time to catch Naruto's mortified face, and muttered: "I'll be back, Choji."

Choji nodded and grabbed a few chips.

I walked up to Naruto.

_"What the hell happened?"_ I thought, looking around suspiciously.

Naruto still looked surprised and angry at the same time.

"What's up?" I asked him.

Naruto just glared up at me. "Like it's any of your fucking business."

I suppressed the need to kick his ass, but Hinata whispered in my ear: "He spilled punch all over Neko's white and blue dress."

My heart stopped for her as I felt my eyes widen. "No."

Naruto nodded. "Yes," then hung his head. "Man, I'm so stupid… after I got into a fight with her, you'd think that I could actually do _something_ right. No… after making her cry, I only reward her with more fucking tears."

"Wait," I growled, feeling anger rush up to my throat. "You made her cry?"

Hinata's eyes widened as she looked at Naruto.

Naruto nodded, biting his lip.

"I didn't mean to… I just said the same things as I did to you… I guess I was kind of jealous about how you two asked about each other at almost the same time. I didn't think it through, and I'm sorry. I'll apologize to Neko once she comes back."

I was _angry;_ how _dare_ he make Neko cry?

_"No girl should cry because of something that a guy says to her. That's just Naruto being an ass."_

Though, I tried not to strangle myself when I realized that Neko had been crying because of me for the majority of her time here.

Hinata sighed, breaking into my thoughts. "Ok… now that that's… semi-settled, why don't we all dance?"

I shook my head. "I was having a rather interesting conversation to Choji about chips. See you guys…"

I walked back over to Choji, who was still eating. "So… where were you in the story?"

Choji stopped eating and continued:

"Ah… and then, the bird swooped down and grabbed the chip right out of my hand…"

**Neko's POV**

I got to Naruto's house and tried to open the door, but remembered that Naruto had the keys to his own house.

I tried to go to Shikamaru's house, but all of my clothes were in my suitcase, so there was literally no reason for me to go in there.

The embarrassment was even more overwelming as I ran to the training field, trying to avoid people when it came down to it.

_"I know Naruto didn't do it on purpose… so I don't hate him or anything. Walking around with a ridiculous stain on your dress doesn't really help your self confidence or anything."_

As the fatigue set in, I finally collapsed at the far side of the training field, next to a few bushes.

It was a place few could find; one that I discovered my first week in the Leaf.

"So… who are you?" A voice sounded behind me, startling me.

I looked back to see a guy, no older than I was, with pale skin and dark eyes. He had black hair, too, and I got up, still startled. "Who's asking?"

The guy laughed at me. "Huh. Not too shabby for someone who has just taken my place as the twelfth Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."

I felt my eyes widen as I realized who this was:

Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

Yeah… I figured that there's no such thing as a Naruto fanfic without Sasuke in it… so yeah. He's gonna make his one and only debut next chapter! And, don't even worry; this story is going to have an alright ending, with the possibility for a sequel! I'm still on the fence, though… Rate/Review; the next couple chapters are story-changing. Not the next one, though… D:

10/19/12: Oh yeah, yesterday was Asuma-sensei's birthday! :'( I miss him! And, this chap. and the next one are like... not as good as the rest. I pulled stuff out of my ass! D: Rate/Reivew!


	31. Heart To Heart

_Flashback:_

_"So… who are you?" A voice sounded behind me, startling me._

_I looked back to see a guy, no older than I was, with pale skin and dark eyes. He had black hair, too, and I got up, still startled. "Who's asking?"_

_The guy laughed at me. "Huh. Not too shabby for someone who has just taken my place as the twelfth Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."_

_I felt my eyes widen as I realized who this was:_

_Sasuke Uchiha._

Chapter 31: Heart-To-Heart

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't believe who was in front of me at the moment; Sasuke Uchiha.

He just looked at me and shrugged indifferently.

"Normally, I'd attack someone with the likes of you, but I've got time to sit and chat. You don't seem like much of a fighter anyway. What brings you out here dressed like _that_?"

He gestured to my bloodstained-looking dress, and I turned away, feeling embarrassed again.

"I was at a party, and… my boyfriend spilled it on me by accident, so I came out here to chill out."

Sasuke just gave me an indifferent look.

"A party, huh? I never could go _anywhere_ with those damn fan girls following me _everywhere._ That's one of the reasons I don't miss this place."

I couldn't keep a smile off of my face.

"Well, even though you betrayed the village… sit." I gestured to the spot on the grass next to me and he obliged.

"So… what's your name?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm Neko Inari." He looked at me with a blank expression for a moment.

"So… how long have you been in the village?"

"About a year; not long."

I was trying to be guarded about what I told the missing-nin; he could just be using me to get information.

Sasuke sighed. "Has anyone… changed?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Whatcha mean?"

Sasuke gave me a bored look.

"Well… does Neji still act like a douche? Is Hinata still quiet? Is Sakura still… um… pink? Is Ino still a bitch? Is Tenten still the best ninja tool artist around? Is Kiba still with Akamaru? Is Choji still fat? Is Shikamaru still smart? Is Shino still kind of creepy? Is Lee still the best at Taijutsu?"

I nodded to all of them except for Hinata being quiet, and Sasuke took a big gulp of air.

"Is Naruto… still aiming to become Hokage?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, apparently."

Sasuke gave a small smirk. "He just doesn't give up, does he?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

**Kiba's POV**

I watched as Naruto and Hinata were chatting like old friends, and I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

_"Hinata is MY girlfriend, so why is HE talking to her more than I am?!" _I pouted for a moment, but suddenly, Ino called everyone together:

"Ok… I think it's time for a little spin the bottle."

"_This is NOT gonna end well,"_ I thought as I walked over to the circle of people.

I took a quick look around and noticed that Neko wasn't back yet.

_"I wonder where she went… she still looked beautiful, even if her dress was ruined."_

The very thought of her looking as good as she had just then... I bet it'd stick with me forever.

_"Beautiful."_

Ino sighed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Ok. Standard rules; if you're a girl and you get a guy or vice-versa, then you have to kiss on the lips. But… if you're a guy and you get a guy, or vice versa… then you have to confess something to them in front of everyone. Got it?"

Everyone nodded, and with that, the game got started.

Ino spun the bottle. "Whoever gets picked goes first."

After a grueling moment, I couldn't help but sigh when it landed on Neji, and he growled: "Destiny is on my side…" as he spun, and almost instantly, it landed on Lee.

Lee pumped his fist. "Ok. Neji, you confess something first!"

Neji looked _pissed,_ which made me snort softly, and he muttered: "I enjoy being on the same team as you…"

Lee saluted him. "Well said, Neji! I think that you are the greatest rival that a man like me could ever have!"

Neji face-palmed and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Ok. Lee, it's your turn."

Lee spun, and it landed on Ino.

Everyone laughed when they saw Ino's face as she growled. "Even if you _do_ look bearable, Lee, I _refuse_ to kiss you!"

Sakura snorted. "Damn straight, blonde bitch."

Suddenly, Naruto cut in, smirking slightly: "Huh. Well, what should be her punishment?"

Tenten smirked, looking revengeful. "You'll have to cut off your hair… again."

Ino gawked, "Bu-but that's not fair!"

Sakura frowned, and Lee shrugged, staring at Ino unblinkingly. "So, Ino, what will it be?"

Choji snorted. "Psh… c'mon, Ino; stop being such a baby! It's not that hard."

Ino sighed, then leaned over to Lee and kissed him on the lips for only a moment, and when they finished, Lee turned up his nose.

"Hmm. Ino, you are not as good of a kisser as I initially thought."

Ino looked pissed off like nothing else in her life as she growled: "I fucking hate you, Lee."

Sakura was laughing as Lee scooted closer to her.

I was actually kind of nervous; what if _I_ had to kiss someone? I didn't want Hinata to be jealous of any other girl or anything.

_"I don't need her to be worried that someone else is better for me than she is. She's helping me transfer my affection to her instead of Neko… and… it's kind of working. Some days more than others, but… it helps."_

The game went on and on, me being thankful that when it was his turn, Choji had gotten me, and I had confessed that I had taken the last chip when he wasn't looking, then I had spun Naruto, and pulled something out of my ass that wasn't too personal, so I just told him that I wished my hair was as spikey as his was.

Naruto had burst out laughing and told me that he thought that talking to dogs actually _was_ pretty cool.

Then, Naruto spun, and got none other than Hinata.

I felt my heart drop. _"Oh…"_

Naruto frowned, and Hinata frowned in turn, but I looked at Hinata and whispered in her ear without a second thought: "It's ok… I don't mind. It's just a game."

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty having lied to her right there, but I didn't want to start anything between us.

She smiled up at me with the most caring smile and whispered: "Thank you…"

Naruto was glaring at me, like normal, but the two just kissed subtly for a moment, and I couldn't deny that if kisses were electricity, then there'd be a fire in Ino's house right there.

Hinata's cheeks turned red, and Naruto's did as well.

I raised my eyebrow and looked away.

_"Huh. If only I could read minds and figure out exactly what those two are thinking about each other right now. It kind of bothers me in a way."_

Ino ran over to the stereo and turned up the music, a slow song now playing. "Ok… now grab your dance partners and slow dance!"

Ino then ran up to a new guy in the village, Sai, and they began swaying to the music.

Everyone else paired up, too, and the only one without a dance partner was... of course, me.

That's when I looked around to find Hinata.

I noticed that she _and_ Naruto were gone. _"Where'd they go?! How convenient is this?!"_

I ran throughout the house, and finally spotted them both out on the deck, seeming to both be having a heart-to-heart conversation.

Happily, I sighed; it wasn't what I had thought it was.

Nonetheless, I was still worried about Neko.

_"I'm gonna go find her,"_ I thought to myself as I left Ino's house and sauntered down the street, feeling more empty and dull than ever before.

**Neko's POV**

Talking to Sasuke was a very good thing, in my perspective.

I got to learn a lot about him, and what I initially thought he was wasn't the case.

_"I thought he was some stuck up, good-for-nothing, idiot with a superiority complex problem… but he's not. He's pretty down to Earth… maybe leaving the village, in one way or another, was good for him. Maybe. He's given me some good advice."_

Sasuke had watched the sun set with me, and we talked about the contrasts of life in the village when he was there, and nowadays.

"Are you… happy with leaving the village?" I asked him, afraid of what he might say.

He smirked.

"Hmm. In some aspects, yes, very much. Killing my brother is my sole purpose for my existence, and if that wasn't the case… then I would have stayed. But… there _are_ some things that I miss."

My eyes widened. "What might those be?!"

He almost frowned, and he had a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"The mission-less days. When Naruto, Sakura, and I would hang around each other, and try to see what was behind Kakashi's mask. No matter how _annoying_ they _both _were, those were the good old times. However… I do not miss the people, but the times I had with them, if that makes sense."

"You thought… Naruto was annoying?"

I could almost laugh; _"How could these two have been something like brothers?! Sasuke seems like the type to HATE people like Naruto…"_

Sasuke looked at me like I was insane. "Of course. _Everyone_ did."

I smirked. "That's still semi-true. Naruto's my boyfriend… and he kinda fucked up with yelling at me the other day, so I'm kind of mad at him."

For once, Sasuke's eyes had some real feeling in them, as he looked at me with surprise.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Oh," I smiled. "No reason. But… honestly… why did you leave the village… if you were completely happy here?"

Sasuke's eyes automatically went from surprised to almost angry.

"Because… you can't gain power by sitting around and doing nothing. You have to get out; make enemies with _everyone,_ so you can learn to use everyone's powers against them. Only then, will you have true power."

I sighed. "What'd your brother… do? To make you like… this, I mean…"

Sasuke sighed, and it got less pink in the sky as he finished telling his story.

I was in tears by the end. "That's… horrible. You and I… we're similar. My past… is almost the same as yours."

I told my story, and by the end, it was completely dark.

Though, I could still see Sasuke's pale face, due to my cat-like eyes, and he said as I finished: "Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?"

His eyes were angry… like if he stared at the grass too long it'd catch on fire, but I answered calmly:

"Because… revenge is not the answer. It never should be. I didn't want to hurt him… because he suffered just as much, if not more, than I did. Maybe your brother was the same-"

"He did it to test out his own power!" Sasuke raised his voice, sounding pretty pissed now.

"He was fine. He didn't suffer; if anything, he was the _pride_ of the Uchiha clan… a prodigy. Someone my father was proud of. To my father… I'd _never_ own up to what Itachi could do. I had shoes too small to fill the footsteps of my brother. But all of that will change."

I tensed. "So… are you sure… revenge is your answer?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, and I could tell that he was thinking long and hard about his answer.

"Yes," he muttered finally. "Revenge is the _only _answer. Consider it justice for the helpless and irreplaceable lives he has taken."

Sasuke stood up now. "It's time I get going. Don't tell _anyone_ that you saw me here. _No one_ must know that I was here."

I nodded, feeling a little guilty. _"I know it's betraying my village in a way… but it's the least I can do. He helped me through my problems… and I guess I'm helping him with his. He's still a human being."_

Sasuke smirked at me.

"I guess you're alright; you're not a fan girl, and you don't hate me. It's nice to finally meet a girl in the middle."

And with that… he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Woah… short, spooky, and TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE, didn't it? Sorry about that… heh, anyway, that's it for Sasuke's debut. Kinda short and sweet, and he was there scouting the village. He doesn't know that he's a pawn yet. Anyhow… Rate/Review!

10/21/12: It is Mizuki-sensei's birthday! In case you have NO IDEA who that is, watch the first episode of Naruto ever aired! He's the first introduced antagonist :) Anyway, yeah, after this chapter everything will be SO AWESOME! Rate/Review! :D


	32. Naruto's Anger

_Flashback:_

_I tensed. "So… are you sure… revenge is your answer?"_

_Sasuke was silent for a moment, and I could tell that he was thinking long and hard about his answer._

_"Yes," he muttered finally. "Revenge is the only answer. Consider it justice for the helpless and irreplaceable lives he has taken."_

_Sasuke stood up now. "It's time I get going. Don't tell anyone that you saw me here. No one must know that I was here."_

_I nodded, feeling a little guilty. "I know it's betraying my village in a way… but it's the least I can do. He helped me through my problems… and I guess I'm helping him with his. He's still a human being."_

_Sasuke smirked at me._

_"I guess you're alright; you're not a fan girl, and you don't hate me. It's nice to finally meet a girl in the middle."_

_And with that… he disappeared in a cloud of smoke._

Chapter 32: Naruto's Anger

**Neko's POV**

It had been 4 days after the party… and I was only getting more depressed as the days went by.

What Sasuke said had haunted me: _"Don't tell ANYONE that you saw me here."_

I wanted so _desperately_ to tell _someone_ who knew him and cared about him… that he was ok. That he wasn't dead, or hurt. But she couldn't; I made him a promise, and I was determined to keep it.

It was as if Naruto had sensed that something was up with me right off the bat, because all I ever got from him since the party was yelling and shit.

Yesterday, he had even threatened to hit me if I didn't shut up about being tired.

_"It's ok,"_ I had kept telling myself today. _"Shika will be home in a day, and… then it'll be ok." _

Talon seemed worried about my well-being and didn't want me to be hurt in any way possible.

Every time Naruto yelled at me, Talon would make sure to claw him or something later.

Today had gone by like normal; me curling up on the couch, afraid to go outside, in case I blurted out shit about Sasuke, or ANBU was lying in wait for me to tell them anything I learned about him.

Also, Naruto would yell at me every chance he got, whether it was about me being lazy, or that there was something I wasn't telling him.

It was now near dinner, the time that Naruto and I both enjoyed, because then we would just have to go to sleep pretty much right after.

He was looking up at me.

"Whatcha want for dinner?" I could see the guarded look he was giving me; as if he wanted to figure out if he could trust me or not.

"Oh… I'm not that hungry… Naruto." I whispered.

"What _is_ it with you not eating these last couple of days?! You'll starve!"

I could tell that he was only worried about me, and I respected that and all, but I couldn't help but say: "You're not my mother."

That must have really made him angry, because he snarled:

"What the hell has gotten into you?! Is there something that you wanna tell me?! Because if you have something to say, then go right ahead! Who's stopping you?!"

"I have _nothing_ I want to say to you!" I fired back, trying to seem calm, when I knew I wasn't.

"Oh, really?"

Naruto growled back at me, looking very angry.

"Is _that_ why you keep looking at me and then looking away?! Is _that_ why you practice talking to me in _my_ room?"

I froze; how did _he_ know that I did that?!

It only took me a moment to figure out why, and I balled up my fists, clenching my teeth as I stood up.

"What's up with you and spying on me, huh?!"

Naruto slammed his hands down on a nearby table, raising his voice at me again.

"It's _my_ house! I'm not _spying _on _anyone!"_

I snorted and turned away from him.

_"I don't HAVE to answer to him. I still can't believe I wanted to apologize to him. All he's done so far is make me cry. I can't wait until tomorrow. Wait,"_ my eyes widened suddenly.

_"I wonder if he has something on HIS mind…? Like, maybe he's guilty, and that's why he's acting this way!"_

Turning around, I could see Naruto working on making some ramen in the kitchen.

His movements told me he was still beyond furious, but I tried not to get wrapped up in thoughts of what he might do if he was pushed to the edge.

I approached him, my feet making a small sound every time I moved.

"Naruto," I started, levelly.

"The hell do _you_ want?!" He growled right back at me, without turning around to acknowledge me.

That made me grind my teeth together. "Did you do something you want to tell me about? Maybe, oh, at the party after I left?"

Now _that_ made him turn around to face me.

I watched as Naruto's eyes became wide and angry, as if he'd like nothing more than to watch me die.

"What the hell would you want to know? We played spin the bottle. That's it." He turned away from me again, still intent on his ramen.

My next move was pretty stupid, though:

"Who'd you kiss?" I had automatically jumped to the question.

Naruto dropped the bowl of ramen that he had been holding onto the floor, making the bowl break and ramen spill _everywhere._

I had to admit, it was kind of scary.

_"Naruto would NEVER drop ramen. Especially like THAT."_

Naruto had begun to walk toward me, with nothing but anger on his face.

His fists were balled up, and I knew that that was nothing but trouble.

I tried backing up, but I had backed into a corner between his red couch and a table.

_"Shit,"_ I growled at myself. If he tried to hurt me, it'd be all over and I wouldn't be able to escape.

_"Better play my cards wisely."_

Naruto stopped in front of me now, his palms bleeding because his nails were being driven into his skin.

"I don't have to fucking answer to you." He growled, blue eyes flashing in a way that made my heart jump.

I couldn't believe what I was doing: "Who'd you kiss? Was it Sakura? Ino?" I was taunting him, trying to make him tell me, but it backfired horribly.

Naruto hit me.

In the face.

_Hard._

I fell back and hit the wall behind me, then slid into a sitting position, stunned.

Talon meowed like she was surprised, but I couldn't put two and two together in my dazed state. That punch knocked me into next week.

I couldn't think at all except one single thought: _"I feel blood. Where is it…?" _

Naruto was glaring down at me, his fist ready to punch me again, judging by the way he was holding it near my face.

"I said, 'I don't have to fucking answer to you.' What part of that did you not get?!"

Neko noticed that his teeth were gritted together, and that he was almost shaking he was so angry.

My heartbeat was speeding up; what if he hit me again?

_"I couldn't take it… What will I do... if he hits me agaiin?"_

Honestly, I felt my lip tremble as tears began to spill out of my eyes.

Naruto smirked when he saw this, though. "Is that gonna teach you a lesson about staying the hell out of my business?"

"What the fuck is your… problem?" I heard my proud voice tremble just as Naruto had begun to walk away from me to go pick up the pieces of the ramen bowl in the kitchen.

He almost laughed as he bent over without even looking in my direction.

"Heh. Stay out of my business, you stupid slut, and go back to your stupid-ass boyfriend with his dumbass dog."

Those words hit me hard as I struggled to my feet and bit my lip.

How could he bring Kiba and I into this, even though he _knew_ we weren't and wouldn't be together?

_"How can he be... so mean...?"_

More tears were beginning to build up as my pride took over:

"So you're s-saying, that you can be in my business, but I can't be in yours? Are you _that_ hypocritical?"

Naruto stood up faster than lightning and turned around with the most fierce look in his eyes that I've ever seen.

He looked so angry, in fact, that his eyes must have flashed red for a moment.

The fear of him killing me was suddenly a conscious thought as I began rapidly thinking:

_"What would Shika do?! What would Shika do?! Run? Fight back? Call for help?!"_

I was so flustered and scared that I didn't even _notice_ Naruto getting closer to me.

Once I did, though, I stood up straight on my shaky feet, ready to run if he made a move.

He was so close to me that my legs buckled underneath me suddenly, at the very thought of him hurting me, and I almost stumbled.

I let out a faint cry as my leg hit the table, but Naruto grabbed me by my hair, making me cry out a little louder louder in terror and pain.

"What the fuck?" He growled at me as he forced me to stare at his face. "Don't _ever_ call me that, stupid slut."

Again, though faster this time, I felt sudden pain, now on my eye area as I touched it for a moment, feeling the bruise.

His nails were digging through my hair and into my scalp, and making me bleed.

Naruto dropped me as I flinched in pain, and when he saw that, he hit me in the face again, making my head hit against the wall.

I gasped in pain as I tried to stand up again to face him, but Talon saved me.

She had suddenly jumped onto Naruto's head, making him forget all about me for a moment.

I watched as Talon scratched his face and his head, and then she suddenly looked up at me and flicked her tail furiously; meowing at me to go and find somewhere to hide so he can't find me.

Without a second thught, I obliged and began to run down the street no matter how many times I stumbled, holding my face and running looking at the ground so no one would ask me what had happened.

The only thing that I could think was:

_"Adrenaline makes me move so fast…"_

**Kiba's POV**

I watched as Hana fed her three dogs, who were now wolfing down their food. I had eaten three whole steaks that evening.

_"Man, I'm stuffed,"_ I thought, running a hand through my hair.

Tsume looked at me just as I did this.

"You seem to be in a better mood these days, Kiba," she commented.

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Hana laughed at me. "How was the party? I forgot to ask…"

I just shrugged; I hadn't thought much of it.

"Nothing important happened there, I guess."

Tsume smirked at me. "Don't lie."

I stared straight into her eyes, not allowing myself to show anything that might suggest that I was lying.

"I'm not. I guess life's just been kind these last couple of days."

Akamaru was lying next to my chair, and I jumped down and put the little puppy on my head.

Akamaru just sighed: _"If you're going for a walk… leave me outta this one. I'm so full!"_

I just laughed. "Well… how'd you know, buddy?"

Akamaru didn't even answer as he jumped off of my head and jumped onto the nearest couch.

Hana laughed as she stared at Akamaru.

"Well… I guess Akamaru's had enough of your antics and such for the past few days."

I scratched the back of my head; the last couple of days had been nothing but training with Akamaru.

I didn't see much use in sitting around and _pretending_ to do something when I could be training for some important battle or mission that could come up any time.

Tsume waved me off. "I guess if you're going on a walk… be back this time. No. Fighting. Got it?"

I sighed. "If it comes down to it, hell yeah, I'll fight someone and win. But… as for no reason, yeah sure. I won't fight anyone."

Hana face-palmed. "Close enough. See you later, little brother."

I sauntered out of my house, feeling happy and confident.

Although the thing with Naruto and Hinata still bothered me, it didn't really do much to worry endlessly about things. I had learned that the _hard_ way.

I walked toward central Konoha, thinking about how everything was so peaceful and happy.

_"Huh. It's hard to think that someone out there is dying, or crying right now. It feels so mutual."_

As I now made my way down the streets, I noticed someone was running toward me.

I was about to step out of the way, but I realized it was Neko.

_"Neko? Why is she running?"_

Even when I had left the party and tried to find her, it was as if she had disappeared off the face of the Earth; my nose had been led astray by another scent… it was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

Of course, I had been worried as hell, but I tried to figure it as nothing to freak out over.

Neko crashed into me just as I thought she was going to veer out of the way.

She fell back as I just stared at her with wide eyes.

_"What's wrong with her?" _I asked myself.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but _something_ was wrong. Was it the way she was biting her lip, or was it the way her face was wet, like she had been crying?

Neko got up and was about to run away again, but that's when I noticed that there was a bump underneath her eye. I _had_ to stop her.

"Woah," I grabbed her arms as she started to run away again. "Why are you crying?"

She looked up at me with the most pained expression I've ever seen in her eyes as she shook her head, her lower lip quivering and tears streaming out of her beautiful gray eyes.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I repeated in a softer voice: "Why are you crying?"

Neko just stared harder into my eyes, and then she flinched as her left hand flew up to her left eye.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked, getting more worried by the second. "If I did, I'm sorry."

I didn't _want_ to hurt her, and I knew that if I had, I'd probably beat myself up about it for weeks... but this time, I couldn't place it. I hadn't done anything this time.

Neko kept staring at me, like there were ten million things she wanted to tell me, but it was as if she couldn't even open her mouth; like it was glued shut.

"_I wonder what happened to her…"_ I asked myself. This was not normal.

Neko turned her head and almost faced away from me, but I couldn't stop staring at the bump on her cheek.

_"Is that…a bruise?!"_

My heartbeat started to speed up at the thought as I asked: "What's wrong?"

It was as if Neko couldn't hold herself together anymore, and she buried her hands into her face and began to cry.

I felt myself bite my lip when I heard that dreadful sound. This time, it was worse.

_"I've never heard her cry like this before."_

Neko swayed on her feet, and I automatically took her by the hand.

"C'mon… let's go somewhere you can talk to me."

If Neko didn't want to listen to me, she couldn't do anything about it as I walked her through the streets and to a quiet spot in the park that was rarely visited and closed off so no one would hear us talking.

"Ok," I heard myself whisper to her. "What's wrong?"

Neko had stopped crying by now, and was now looking up at me like she was deciding on whether or not to trust me.

_"I wish she would... I won't hurt her again..."_

"It's ok," I added. "You can tell me _anything_. It's alright."

Neko was now staring up at me with her gray eyes almost glinting.

"N-Naruto and I… we've been fighting a lot." She said, sounding almost guarded.

"_That's a good start…"_ I thought, looking deeper into her eyes.

"Why have you been fighting?" I asked, trying to sound calm, but I knew I was extremely anxious.

"I-I don't know… we fight about the dumbest things… but this time… it got really bad."

"How bad?" I breathed, wondering what the hell Naruto could have done to make her feel like this.

Neko stared at me for a long moment.

One that could have easily lasted a lifetime.

Then, she took her hand from her cheek showed me just how terrible her bruise was on her face.

My breath was already caught in my throat as she said the one thing I dreaded the most:

"He...he hit me."

* * *

I wonder what could happen now? Oh shit, but it's kind of getting intense, and maybe some more _really_ intense shit will be coming out soon! Yeah, uploading two chapters because I feel bad about not uploading for a while. :( Sorry, guys. But just so you know, when this story is over, because it's getting pretty close, I have about 4 new story ideas! So… stay tuned, I guess… :) Rate/Review!

10/21/12: A couple chapters in a night isn't too bad, right? Plus, I told you it'd get intense! Ok, Rate/Review!


	33. Friends Again?

_Flashback:_

_"N-Naruto and I… we've been fighting a lot." She said, sounding almost guarded._

_"That's a good start…" I thought, looking deeper into her eyes._

_"Why have you been fighting?" I asked, trying to sound calm, but I knew I was extremely anxious._

_"I-I don't know… we fight about the dumbest things… but this time… it got really bad."_

_"How bad?" I breathed, wondering what the hell Naruto could have done to make her feel like this._

_Neko stared at me for a long moment._

_One that could have easily lasted a lifetime._

_Then, she took her hand from her cheek showed me just how terrible her bruise was on her face._

_My breath was already caught in my throat as she said the one thing I dreaded the most:_

_"He...he hit me."_

Chapter 33: Friends Again?

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't believe that Kiba had been the first person I had run into, much less the person that wanted to help me out.

At this point, I couldn't turn away someone who was willing to listen to me, no matter _who_ it was.

Once I had told Kiba about Naruto hitting me, though, he lost it. I could see it in his face.

His eyes went from worried to more angry than I had ever seen in a heartbeat.

"He _hit _you?! Why?!" He growled.

I honestly didn't exactly know how to answer that question.

"I-I don't know," I bit my lip, trying not to cry anymore. "I asked him… a question, and he dropped his ramen and hit me. Th-then, I called him hypocritical, which he _was_, and he hit me again and he... he pulled on my hair... Talon jumped on his head, giving me an opening to run away…"

That's when I trailed off.

Kiba was furious.

His eyes made me shiver; they were so livid, so full of hate… I was almost scared of him at that moment.

He kept staring at me until he said in a hard voice: "What else happened? What else did he do to you?"

I shook my head. "N-nothing else happened…"

Kiba kept staring at me, until he growled. "I'll go kick his ass."

He began to walk away from me, but I grabbed his hand, making him freeze. "Don't. I think he's upset about something… it's ok."

I tried to make him see that Naruto was not himself at the moment.

Kiba turned back to look at me, and growled, his eyes harder than I've ever seen them.

"He hit you. He _hurt_ you. I'll kick his ass anyway."

"_Does he really still care about me that much?"_ I asked myself as I moved to stand in front of him, blocking his path.

"Don't," I begged, trying to get Kiba to see that all of this will blow over once I didn't have to live in the same house as Naruto did.

Kiba stared at me for a moment, his eyes softening as he stared.

_"Why is he looking at me like that...?"_

But... that's when he growled again, his eyes getting sharp again:

"Look at what he did to you. I'll kill him if I have to."

I shook my head.

"Don't do this... please, don't do this."

He pushed past me now, running faster than ever.

I tried to follow at a fast pace... but I couldn't. My leg wouldn't allow me. It hurt too much.

_"I hope he doesn't hurt Naruto too much..."_

**Kiba's POV**

My legs had a mind of their own at the moment.

It was like they were on auto-pilot.

_"Who the hell does Naruto think he is; hurting Neko like that?!"_

The moment I had seen her bruised and beaten face, I didn't want to think that Naruto had done something to hurt her. But he did.

_"Bastard..."_

In no time flat, I reached Naruto's house.

Before I could kick down the door, like I had originally planned, Naruto opened it up.

The haze in my eyes barely allowed me to see the anger in his face as well.

"Have you seen that stupid slut, Kiba?! She ran out on me!"

_"Who the hell is he talking about?!"_

My eyebrows skyrocketted up as I growled:

"If you're talking about Neko, hell yeah I've seen her. Did you just call her what I think you did?"

His blue eyes flashed as they met mine.

"Hell yeah. That bitch pissed me off earlier. I'm not fucking surprised that she went crawling back to _you_. You're her _boyfriend_, aren't you?!"

The taunt made me snap as I remembered the day before the party, when Naruto had said practically the same damn thing.

Without another thought, I launched myelf at him.

"You bastard! I'll kick your fucking ass!"

I lit into him, throwing punches and picking him up by his white shirt.

_"Who the hell do you think you are?!"_ I snarled out loud.

Without missing a beat, he kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying into the wall.

"Is this gonna be like it was a week ago?" Naruto asked me, cracking his knuckles.

"Only if you make it that way, prick." I felt the words escape my lips as I raced toward him.

Naruto hit me in the face, but it wasn't very hard compared to how I pushed him back onto the floor and geared myself to hit him in the face as I held him down with my foot.

_"He'd better be sorry that he had even laid a hand on her fucking body!"_

**Neko's POV**

I hurried as fast as I could to Naruto's house.

I didn't want any more blood to be shed over me.

_"Kiba... Naruto..."_

When I finally reached Naruto's residence, I could hear shouting from the doorway.

"Guys, stop!"

My voice was very squeaky and quiet, I could barely hear it.

I hurried into the house, and I could see Kiba standing over Naruto.

Talon was nowhere to be seen.

"Kiba... stop..." It was as if my voice was going away.

He didn't even turn to acknowledge me.

"Wait outside, Neko..." I heard him whisper.

"No! Stop!" I cried without a second thought.

**Kiba's POV**

I could hear how much she didn't want me to hurt him. I could hear it in her voice.

Though, at the moment, I couldn't have cared less.

My head whipped around to face her.

"Neko, go wait outside! I'll be out there with you in a minute."

But I could see tears breeding in her eyes.

**Neko's POV**

"Let him go..." I heard myself whisper. "Please, Kiba, let him go..."

Naruto finally decided to speak now:

"You and your stupid boyfriend..."

I felt tears stain my cheeks at how Naruto could still be so mean.

Kiba's head turned to Naruto's in a way that I would rather forget.

"You're such an asshole, you know?" I heard Kiba's voice, hard and angry.

Naruto laughed weakly.

"You're such an idiot. You try to steal my girlfriend, but, oh well, she's a slut anyway, right?"

A cry escaped my lips again, and Kiba hit Naruto in the face once.

Only once.

Kiba got up, but Naruto didn't get up... or even attempt to.

My breath caught in my throat as he snorted.

"What a prick. Come on, Neko. Let's go."

He walked by me, but when he noticed that I wasn't following, he glared at me when our eyes met.

"What's up?"

I couldn't help but notice that his voice had changed; it was so soft and caring.

_"He just knocked Naruto out cold..."_

I felt tears breed in my throat, and Kiba took a step toward me.

"Neko, I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry."

I stared at him and bit my lip.

"How... how could Naruto... be so mean...?"

Kiba sighed, looking away.

"I don't know."

That's when he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

"Let's go."

I took one last look at Naruto.

There was a trickle of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth, and I turned away, feeling the pain hurt my heart.

_"How could he say those things?"_

Once we were outside, Kiba asked me:

"You're ok… right?"

I nodded, still a little numb. "I'm fine. I can't wait until Shika gets back, though."

Kiba nodded back, and the two of us sat in silence.

I looked up to see the sun setting.

_"It's getting late… where am I supposed to go? I can't be alone, and Naruto will probably never let me back into his house, not that I WANT to go back in there… but…"_

I looked up at Kiba, who was glaring at Naruto's house, but as soon as I took a breath to tell him my thoughts, it was as if he could read my mind.

"You don't… have anywhere to stay tonight, do you?"

I shrugged. "I guess not, but…"

He cut into my sentence, looking away as if he was embarrassed.

"I can… stay with you, you know. I-if you don't mind, that is… just for tonight, so you don't have to deal with Naruto or be alone, because I know how you don't like to be alone…"

As he rambled on and on, I felt myself blush a little bit as he let go of my wrist.

_"I guess he DOES still care about me. I suppose… we can work up to being friends again. He's still with Hinata… and I guess I'm still with Naruto... so it's not like he's flirting with me or anything…"_

I turned my gaze back to him.

"I-if you want to. Let's go to Shika's house; I have the key on me."

Kiba only nodded and he walked back to Shikamaru's house with me. My leg bothered me a bit, but every time I felt like I was about to fall over, he'd tell me to hold onto his arm and ask if I was ok.

I was, honestly, well aware of his prescense next to me the entire time.

Once I had unlocked the door and turned on the lights, I murmured to him: "Make yourself at home."

Kiba only nodded and looked around for a moment.

I suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of fatigue swamp over me.

I, slowly but surely, reached the couch and sat down, holding my bruised face.

_"How hard did Naruto hit me?"_

It still hurt like hell.

**Kiba's POV**

I was still in an angry stupor at how stupid Naruto could be.

_"Why the hell would he do something like that to her?!"_

I pretended to be looking around, but I absolutely could _NOT_ ignore how pain-stricken Neko's face became as she sat down on a couch.

The room was getting dark, so it was getting a little hard to see, but I made my way over to her.

"Hey, Neko... do you, uh..."

My voice was being lost to me every second.

"Do you need anything? Like, I don't know... water... or, uh... food or something?"

I wanted to drown myself at that moment; could I have sounded any more _dumb_?

She looked up at me with these eyes... I can't explain it.

They were so pretty, though. Wider than normal, yet still attentive.

"No, Kiba... it's ok."

I felt my mouth go agape, but I nodded.

"Ok. Uh... are you _sure_ you're ok?"

Neko only looked away.

"I'm fine."

There was an awkward moment of silence, until Neko smirked up at me suddenly.

"Do you wanna watch a scary movie? I bet you're…" She smirked even more broadly. "Scared."

Her sudden change in persona already made me nervous, but I couldn't be outdone.

"Hell no I'm not scared." I almost snorted at the thought; me, scared, over a movie? Please.

Neko giggled at me, as if all of her pain was forgotten.

"I can't wait to watch you scream."

I rolled my eyes. "Challenge accepted. Just don't be too disappointed when I _don't_ scream."

Neko only giggled at me again, and although I was supposed to be feeling anger at that, I couldn't help but feel something else.

Happiness.

The feeling of being the person she could laugh with made me feel so much better.

**Neko's POV**

I picked out the scariest movie I knew of: "Shinobi Hell: Return of the Demons."

Personally, I had never watched this particular movie, but Shikamaru had told me to go upstairs before I did anything about it.

For the next three hours, Temari was screaming her head off, and so was Shikamaru.

I had to admit, it was pretty funny, but it must mean the movie was scary as hell.

_"Me? Scared? Psh. As if! But I bet Kiba is such a wuss..."_

Glancing at him, I stood up on my shaky feet and grabbed the DVD from the shelf.

"You're gonna be _so_ scared, Kiba!"

I could literally _feel_ myself opening up to him.

He snorted audibly from behind me.

"Please, pussy cat. I'm not afraid of anything."

With a smirk, I pretended to slip, and I could see the worry enter his eyes.

"Are you ok?!" He whispered.

"I'm fine. Scared of nothing my ass." Smirking again, I popped the DVD in and sat down next to him on the couch.

I snorted as he asked:

"Why are you sitting next to me?"

"Because I want to make sure you're not actually scared."

Kiba only shook his head.

"If there's anyone that'll be scared, it's you."

"Please, dog boy."

That was when the movie credits came up.

"Get ready to scream." I teased.

Kiba growled at me: "I don't _scream, _pussy cat."

I laughed softly. "Whatever, dog boy. This is the ultimate test."

He growled at me again, and the movie was well on its way.

The first thirty minutes were bearable, even though I'll admit I shivered a couple of times.

At around the hour mark, I _did_ jump at one point, making Kiba snicker.

"You _scared_ yet, pussy cat?" He asked me.

"Not at all!" My voice was rising, but it was only to hide how scared I really was.

_"I'm such a wuss..."_

Kiba hadn't moved at all at this point.

I growled up at him, making him snort at me as we continued to watch this creepy ass video.

At one point, I don't remember when, but the main villain killed a helpless child, and it made me start to cry.

Not the loud crying, but the one where you have to hold your mouth to keep in the cries.

Kiba looked over at me right when my hand flew to my mouth.

"You ok?" He asked me, tilting his head in a way that made him seem genuinely interested in how I was doing.

I wiped all of my tears away quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Struck a nerve there."

Kiba stared at me for a moment longer and nodded, turning his head back to the T.V.

Then, only moments later, the kid the demon had killed came back to life, growling and twitching, making me stiffen at the same time Kiba did.

The kid's head turned to the screen.

"I'm ready… to kill all of the Shinobi."

I jumped up at the chilling moment, and hid behind the couch, holding my head.

_"It's not real… it's not real…"_

To be honest, I was _terrified_.

No one deserved to be used as a pawn like that; killed only for one reason… to do another's bidding.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I was ready to punch whatever was behind me, but I heard a voice: "Pussy cat? Are you ok?"

Turning around, I was face-to-face with Kiba.

His mouth was turned in a way that told me he was worried about me.

_"He's... worried about me?"_

"Uh, yeah… I'm fine."

Kiba was giving me a look that told me he didn't believe me now, and he sighed.

"It's ok if you're scared, pussy cat. Just tell me and I'll turn it off."

I looked up at Kiba's caring face.

"No… no its ok."

He snorted. "Don't lie. We won't count this one, alright? I don't care, pussy cat."

I only sighed in response, but Kiba got up and walked away, and the T.V turned off just as something gruesome was playing on the screen.

He was by my side again in a heartbeat.

"C'mon. Are you… tired or something?"

At this point, I didn't know what to say.

_"Is he… trying to take care of me?"_

All I could do was stare at him.

Suddenly, all of my past feelings had begun to bombard me. I could feel them all swimming up to my throat as I stared deeper into his eyes.

_"I can't believe how much I miss him..."_

**Kiba's POV**

I stared at Neko, wondering what was going through her mind now.

My mind, though, was now wandering back to what had happened only a little while ago.

_"I wish I could have been there to protect her. She didn't deserve to get hit by Naruto. Why the hell would he HIT her? What did she do to make him hit her?!"_

The question completely stumped me, as I stared into space for a moment, which happened to still be Neko's face.

Neko kept staring up at me and she murmured:

"Actually, Kiba... I _am_ a bit tired... but you don't need to carry me; it's ok, I'll-"

But I already disregarded her orders as I held her close to my chest for only a moment.

The feeling of being in the water with the moon shining on our faces hit me like a nail to a hammer.

Then, I lifted her up into my arms, no matter how much she was protesting.

"Kiba! Don't you _dare_ carry me upstairs! Put me the hell down!"

Neko's fist hit me in the chest, making me lose my breath for a moment.

_"She's strong when she's mad..."_

When I got my breath back, I glared at her, making her look like she shrank in my arms.

"Don't hit me."

Neko only sighed.

"I won't if you don't carry me."

Sighing, I put her down onto the couch, and as soon as I did, I noticed her flinch in pain.

_"Oh… that's right. She's hurt."_ I bit my lip.

"Do you want me to fix you up a bit?" My softer side was coming out, no matter how much I _really_ didn't want that to happen.

I turned on a light, and instantly, Neko's bruise made me wonder how and why Naruto could be such an asshole.

_"Next time I see him..."_ I silently swore to kill him.

She stared at me for a moment, as if she didn't know how to answer my question.

"Uh… if you want to…"

I nodded and asked softly: "I guess… where are your bandages?"

Neko motioned to the bathroom. "In the cabinet. They're not hard to miss."

"Ok." I shrugged and walked over to the bathroom calmly, no matter how fast I wanted to run so she wouldn't have to bleed anymore.

**Neko's POV**

I watched Kiba walk over to the bathroom, and I couldn't help but think about how nice he was being to me.

_"He's never this nice to me... I wonder what made him be like this?"_

His will to take care of me, how... 'protective'... he'd been when he found out that Naruto had hit me...

It was almost overwhelming.

My feelings were going out of control now.

**Kiba's POV**

I had no problem finding the bandages as I thought about Neko.

_"If I ever had the chance to be with her again, I'll treat her right. I promise. I'll never hurt her ever again. She can have whatever she wants. She can do whatever she wants to me. I don't care. As long as she'd be mine."_

I smiled as I glanced at myself in the mirror.

"I love her, didn't you know?" I asked myself in a soft whisper.

The moment I said it, though, my eyes brightened up in a way that I've never seen from myself before.

Slowly, I walked back over to Neko, who appeared to be in deep thought, just like me.

"Ok… uh… show me where I need to fix you."

No matter how much I practiced talking to her secretly, I'd never get used to it.

Neko just gestured to her leg, where there was a large gash with dried blood on it.

Quickly, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a few paper towels and dampened them so I could clean the blood off of her.

Hastily, I did just that, and as I started to wrap the bandage around her leg, I heard her voice:

"Kiba… thank you."

Honestly, I shivered at the way she addressed me.

"You're… welcome."

As soon as I finished up, I murmured:

"There we go, good as-"

That's when Neko jumped onto my chest.

"The hell?!" I exclaimed before falling onto the ground with her on my chest.

No matter how surprised I was, it felt nice to have some physical contact with her.

Neko was laughing again, all pain forgotten.

"Hmm… you're so easy to tackle."

I sat there for a moment, dazed.

_"She thinks she can beat me… as if."_

I smirked and slowly lifted myself up and inched closer to her face, and, gradually, she fell back, trying not to let me touch her.

Slowly, I leaned over her, and having turned the tables, and I laughed:

"I pinned you without having to _touch_ you!"

Suddenly, a familiar, stinging feeling appeared on my cheek, and I growled.

"Did you just… slap me?"

Neko was now crawling out from underneath me. "Yes, I did. You're just one stupid dog."

I growled in retaliation: "And you're one annoying cat."

She turned back and looked at me as she stood up almost shakily.

"Are you mocking me?"

I laughed again, smirking. "I dunno. I guess I could try."

Neko snorted and said in a cooing tone: "What… do you want to play fetch, little puppy?"

I growled again; how _dare_ she taunt me?

Without a second thought, I got to my feet and began to walk toward her, but before I could get anywhere near her, she began to shake and she dropped to her knees, looking like she was in pain.

**Neko's POV**

"_Heh, he won't be such a tough guy now,"_ I thought in my head as I put on the best injured face I could manage and fell to my knees, moaning and meowing.

_"I can so beat him at this game."_

I looked up to see Kiba's face change as he got up and walked toward me.

"Pussy cat? Are you ok?" He asked, sounding worried out of his mind.

The thought almost made me blush, but I rejected it.

Kiba walked up to me and dropped to his knees in front of me.

"Did I hurt you?!" His worried whisper made me almost smirk.

In response, I felt myself let out a small cry, and Kiba suddenly wrapped his arms around me almost immediately.

I felt an enormous blush spread across my cheeks, and Kiba rubbed my back, comfortingly.

"It's alright, pussy cat. It's ok. I'm right here."

I couldn't do or say anything when I heard the tone in his voice; he sounded like he really cared about me and didn't want anyone or anything to hurt me.

_"Has he… always cared about me in this way? Because it seems like… it's almost… second nature."_

Kiba looked down at me and began stroking my cheek, and when he hit my bruise, I gasped and flinched away.

"Sorry," Kiba whispered, and he laid his head on top of mine in a surprisingly comfortable way.

**Kiba's POV**

I had to let her know how much I cared about her.

_"I don't care if she and NARUTO are together. I want her so terribly... terribly bad..."_

Biting my lip, I felt her almost melt into my chest as I held her there.

The feeling that I had done something that hurt her made me feel so bad.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you just now," I heard myself whisper to her.

Neko didn't answer me, she only inhaled really deeply, but then she exhaled almost silently, as if she was about to fall asleep on me.

The thought of that... heh...

After a moment of silence, Neko whispered to me: "What are you… thinking about?"

My head shot up and I was now looking down at her incredulously.

"So… you're ok?" I whispered.

Neko looked up at me and smirked, watching with satisfaction as my cheeks turned more red than my damn triangles.

She burst out laughing softly. "I didn't know you could be so _gentle,_ Kiba."

I just looked away and snorted, whispering barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Tch. It was because I thought you were hurt."

Neko smiled at me as I looked away, trying to get me to look at her again.

"So… you care about me?"

I only glanced at her and looked away again, muttering:

"I never said that."

Neko poked the base of my neck, making my gaze snap back to her again, and she whispered: "I asked you… what are you thinking about?"

The question made me freeze for a moment.

"Nothing really."

Neko sighed, pouting. "Tell me?"

I just shook my head.

"There's nothing to-"

But a sudden movement at the door stopped both of us from doing anything at the moment.

**Neko's POV**

I watched as Kiba's eyes widened and he turned off the lights.

I felt him take my hand and stand up slowly.

"C'mon," he growled. "Go hide in the kitchen. If I get hurt… run."

I breathed, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"Are you sure?"

But before he could answer, the door opened, and I stiffened; whoever was at the door was holding a kunai.

Kiba took a sharp intake of breath and pushed me behind him, and I could hear a small growl come from his throat.

I felt lightheaded for a moment.

_"He really would kill himself for me…"_

I thought as my heartbeat sped up and another major blush lit my cheeks.

Whoever was at the door was moving really slow, and Kiba backed up, wrapping his arms around me again.

"C'mon… you have a back door, right?!"

I nodded, almost paralyzed with fear.

"Lead me to it," he growled, trying to keep his voice down.

I led him to the back door next to the kitchen, and once we had both escaped, we ran off into the night, despite my leg, but I ran faster than ever.

I didn't care about the pain.

* * *

Scary… kinda? Maybe? Meh… well, rate/review!

10/22/12: What a chapter... geez! xD I LOVE how I edited this one, personally. :) Rate/Review!


	34. Rekindling Feelings

_Flashback:_

_Whoever was at the door was moving really slow, and Kiba backed up, wrapping his arms around me again._

_"C'mon… you have a back door, right?!"_

_I nodded, almost paralyzed with fear._

_"Lead me to it," he growled, trying to keep his voice down._

_I led him to the back door next to the kitchen, and once we had both escaped, we ran off into the night, despite my leg, but I ran faster than ever._

_I didn't care about the pain._

Chapter 34: Rekindling Feelings

**Neko's POV**

I ran after Kiba, in terror.

_"I wonder who could have gotten into the house. They unlocked the door with the kunai… Maybe it was Naruto..."_

The thought of that hurt so much, I stumbled for a moment, but quickly regained my balance.

I looked back to see Kiba following me.

_"I wonder if he smelled who it was… no, he was too panicked, and they were too far away for it to be distinct."_

The two of us ran off to the park, which was abandoned at this time at night.

By now, all of the streetlights were on, so we stopped behind one.

I was panting as I looked up at him.

"…Are you-"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kiba cut in, without letting me finish my sentence.

He was looking down at me with a confused look, and when I asked "What's up?" He kept staring at me, as if he hadn't heard a word that I had just said.

Kiba finally seemed to snap out of it as he answered my question.

"Nothing. But… now what are we going to do?"

Our eyes met at that moment, and it was nearly paralyzing.

I was caught in his eyes at the moment; I had never really noticed how sharp and breathtaking they were.

Heroic was the first word that came to mind, honestly.

_"Stop thinking like that,"_ I told myself as I bit my lip, trying to look away.

I, honestly, couldn't stop staring at him.

_"After all this time... why can't my feelings just disappear, like the way they are for Naruto?!"_

I could feel it.

Everything that Naruto had wanted to tell me was said through his fists.

My feelings for him were slowly deteriorating the more I thought about him... but what sped up the process was how close Kiba was standing to me.

Our shoulders were touching.

I don't think he meant to do this, but I wanted to tell myself that he did.

That he wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with him at the moment.

_"But he's got Hinata..."_

**Kiba's POV**

Neko was staring at me.

It wasn't a blank stare, either.

It was as if she was thinking about everything on her mind and trying to get me to feel it.

Though, honestly, I thought back to when we were in Shik's house.

_"Who the hell could it have been?! If it was Naruto, damn straight he's looking for us as we stand here aimlessly... but if it was some robber or something... I don't know..."_

If things were a _little_ different... maybe, just maybe, I'd take her back to my house so she could sleep there for just one night. I don't care if I had to sleep on the floor or the couch.

Having her sleep in my bed, without me being in it, of course, would have me dreamy-eyed for _days._

Though, we all know why I can't do that.

Neko was staring at me even more intensely now, searching my eyes for something... but I don't know what it was that she was looking for.

Honestly, though, as we sat in silence, staring at each other, the way she had told me to let Naruto go only a couple hours earlier still stuck with me.

_"What I would give to have her look at me the way she looks at Naruto."_

**Neko's POV**

After a minute or so, which only seemed like five seconds, Kiba gave me a confused look.

"Are you falling asleep or something, pussy cat?"

"N-no," I stammered, feeling ashamed of myself that I hadn't stopped staring into his eyes until the last moment.

_"I hate my feelings."_

The thought of feelings and... him being so close to me... it made me blush.

Kiba seemed to see it and he smirked for a moment. "Tch."

Without warning, his eyes narrowed as he looked around.

"Do you just want to sleep out here then?" He asked finally, his eyes flicking to me for a second, then flicking away again.

I shrugged.

"I dunno, unless you have any better ideas."

Kiba sighed in response. "Guess not."

Again, without warning, he took my wrist in the familiar, hard way that he used to.

"C'mon, let's go find a corner."

I felt my cheeks heat up again.

_"Why do I keep blushing? It's not like I should care about him or anything… he's nothing to me… isn't he?"_

I knew the thought wasn't true.

When we finally reached the end of the park, a place where no one could see us, Kiba let go of my wrist.

"Here you go, pussy cat."

He said it in a way that made me think, for some reason, that he was tired.

"Are you tired, Kiba?" I asked him, searching his face for any sign of... anything.

Kiba only stared back at me blankly, then sighed very masculinely, making me shiver.

"No… not really."

He flinched suddenly, and I widened my eyes. "What's wrong?"

But he wasn't listening to me; he was looking up into the sky, as if something was threatening him.

I tried to trace his gaze, but a drop of water hit me in the face, making me squeak automatically.

Kiba looked at me and laughed: "Calm down, it's just rain, pussy cat."

I glared at him, feeling the normal sting of his taunts.

"I _know_, Kiba, I'm not stupid."

That's when he snorted, just like back in the old days: "Tch."

I tackled him on impulse, without even thinking about it. "You're _so_ mean!"

I made a soft 'oof' as I fell onto his chest, and he growled at me.

"I'm not mean, pussy cat. I just like to irritate you."

Trying not to be outdone, I growled right back. "But you do it in such a mean way…"

I was caught in his eyes again, and the rain got a little harder, pounding into the back of my neck.

Suddenly, I could feel his heartbeat, calm and steady, against my chest, and I couldn't tear my eyes off of his again.

The way he was staring up at me as his breathing synchronized with mine for the moment... I couldn't help it.

My face must have turned into a tomato, because the heat that was radiating off of me was ridiculous.

Kiba broke into my inner peace as he gave me a small smirk.

"I didn't think little pussy cat could blush like that," he teased me.

_"How did he see me... even when it's this dark?! I thought I was the only one who could do that..."_

On impulse, I felt my hand connect with his cheek, like normal.

"Shut up! I'm not even-"

That must have irritated him, because he didn't even let me finish my sentence as he turned the tables in less than a second, now pinning _me_ to the grass.

"Heh, watch it, pussy cat."

Kiba growled, light heartedly, looking into my eyes.

The rain was now almost pouring down on the two of us.

_"I didn't know... he could be so gentle..."_

Another blush lit up my cheeks, and Kiba smirked, leaning his head down onto my wounded cheek.

"Does it hurt?" He whispered, touching a finger to it, softly.

No matter what kind of force touched it, though, it made me cringe in pain.

"Sorry." Kiba muttered, backing away for a moment and pulling me up into a sitting position.

"What's the matter?" He asked me again, but my head wouldn't let me think straight.

Kiba was looking at me with such confusion and worry... that it worried me.

_"Why does he keep looking at me like that?"_

"Nothing… it just hurts." I put my hand over the bruise and turned away from him for a moment.

An awkward silence washed over us until he murmured: "Ok."

But... that's when my heart jumped.

Kiba gently placed his hand on mine, curling around it.

"It's ok. I guess if you're tired, then you should sleep."

My eyebrows creased in confusion as I still struggled to figure out why he'd be so nice to me.

"What about you?" I whispered, feeling the pain hit me as I pushed my hand into my face by mistake.

As close as Kiba was to me, I felt him stiffen for a moment. As if he couldn't believe that I cared about him.

"Don't worry about me." Kiba finally murmured, rubbing my hand again.

No matter how little we've talked, having him hold my hand... it made me feel like everything was going to be ok.

I mean, sure, when Naruto and I were on good terms, there were times when he'd make me forget, for only a short while, that some things could be better.

Kiba had just ensured to me... that everything was gonna be ok.

Naruto had never, not once, made me feel like this.

That's how I knew.

I knew I loved Kiba.

We've known each other for about a year an a month or two... and throughout that year, we've had _countless _disagreements... and countless fights, while you're at it.

95% of the time that we've known each other, we've hated each other's guts.

At least... I think so.

I don't know when it was.

I don't know how it happened.

But.. sometime within those months, I fell for him.

My heart used to jump when I'd see him, or I felt my ears burned when someone mentioned him.

I wish I knew if he was the same way.

I got myself out of my thoughts and looked up at Kiba to find him still staring down at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling the rain falling on my face now.

It was cold and wet... but it helped me stay awake so I could look at his face a little while longer.

Oddly, it calmed me. The sight of it.

Kiba's eyes were wandering all over my face as I thought about his, and he suddenly grabbed the zipper on his jacket, and unzipped it.

I felt my heartbeat speed up as Kiba took off his jacket, shaking his head like a wet dog, no pun intended, and handed it to me.

"Put it on," he murmured, running his fingers through his hair in a, dare I say it, attractive way.

"Bu-" I tried to argue, but he growled, interrupting me.

"I don't want you to be cold or wet, and you cats get mad when either of those happen. So… put it on, pussy cat. Please."

I didn't _want_ to put his jacket on; I hadn't worn it since he had kissed me when we were together underneath the moon, after sharing multiple intimate moments. However, disobeying Kiba wasn't really a smart choice, so I put it on without another complaint.

It was warm, and it smelled just like him, which was soothing.

Kiba reached around me and pulled the hood over my head gently.

"Better," Kiba sighed, now sounding more relieved than earlier.

I _instantly_ felt tired as I watched the rain hit Kiba's toned shoulders and roll down onto his abs, making a million times more attractive.

His hair was becoming less spikey as he was exposed to the rain more, and his eyes were still as sharp as ever.

"Pussy cat?" He called my 'name' softly.

"Huh?"

I felt my eyebrows drooping, and, at this point, I almost couldn't keep my head up.

As if he had sensed this, Kiba put his arms around me and I let my head fall onto his shoulder, just like I dreamed it would be.

"Go to sleep, pussy cat," he murmured to me, setting his chin on my head very gently.

I felt my eyelids closing, but my last thoughts were:

_"I don't want to love him again…we can't be together." _

**Kiba's POV**

I heard Neko take a deep breath, then sigh, and I looked down at her to find that she was asleep.

Smirking, I couldn't help but admit that she looked beautiful in her sleep; her face was automatically more calm than I've ever seen it, and it made me feel at peace on the inside to think that all of her pain was gone, and that I was the one who made it happen.

_"All she did was blush when we were so close. I'm surprised I didn't…"_

A small chuckle escaped my lips for a moment, but it ceased when another thought entered my mind:

_"Naruto. What would he do to her if he found out she was with me all night?! If he lays another fucking hand on her, it'll be the end of him, but I don't want her to feel anymore pain. I want her to be happy."_

The rain was pounding down on my face, and I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling calm again.

"What do I do?" I whispered out loud.

As if someone was trying to answer, thunder crackled above me, and I murmured: "What if he hurts her? What am I supposed to do?"

I looked up at the dark, rainy sky, which was only lit by the occasional lightning that would rumble through the clouds.

_"She's too beautiful to have to worry about Naruto hurting her anymore."_

She must have heard me thinking about her, because she twitched in my arms.

"Shh. It's ok, pussy cat." I said it so quietly, I honestly couldn't tell that it was my voice.

Suddenly, as I looked up, I could see a figure coming toward the two of us.

_"Shit,"_ I thought.

I reached into my kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai as quietly as I could.

_"If it's Naruto, I'll do everything I can to keep him the hell away from her and prevent him from hurting her. Not again."_

The figure neared us, and I gently laid Neko onto the grass, without waking her up, and stood, walking toward this figure as well.

"Who are you?" I growled as quietly as I could.

The figure just stopped and put his hands behind his head in a familiar fashion.

"Kiba… why'd you and Neko run away when I went into my house?"

* * *

It should be _pretty_ obvious who it is xD But anyway… sorry that the chapter is pretty short. But anyways, I appreciate all of the reviews and everything. Keep 'em coming! :) Rate/Review! And, I've started my new story, "Once Sisters, Now Rivals" go check it out on my profile!

10/23/12: HAHA! Ok, tomorrow is Anko Mitarashi's birthday! :D She's awesome. xD I love her hair. Anyway, this chapter was cute :) I LOVE the name of the next chapter, though. I always will, and I REFUSE to change it xD Rate/Review!


	35. Shika's Back, Baby!

_Flashback:_

_Suddenly, as I looked up, I could see a figure coming toward the two of us._

_"Shit," I thought._

_I reached into my kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai as quietly as I could._

_"If it's Naruto, I'll do everything I can to keep him the hell away from her and prevent him from hurting her. Not again."_

_The figure neared us, and I gently laid Neko onto the grass, without waking her up, and stood, walking toward this figure as well._

_"Who are you?" I growled as quietly as I could._

_The figure just stopped and put his hands behind his head in a familiar fashion._

_"Kiba… why'd you and Neko run away when I went into my house?"_

Chapter 35: Shika's Back, Baby!

**Kiba's POV**

As the figure neared me, I recodnized the familiar pineapple-shaped hair and laid-back pose.

"Shik? What… so that was… you?"

Shikamaru sighed in response.

"I don't know how you didn't notice it was me. I forgot the spare key, so Temari naturally got pissed at me and I unlocked the door with a kunai."

He looked around and when he saw Neko asleep with my jacket on, and his eyes widened for a moment.

"So… I see you've been taking care of her."

A smirk appeared on Shikamaru's face, and I felt a blush light up my cheeks as I muttered:

"Only for tonight."

Shikamaru's face lit up as lightning flashed, and I could see the confusion in his gaze.

"Why is that? I thought Naruto was taking care of her."

I couldn't help but growl at the mentioning of the orange-clad ninja.

_"That bastard better be sorry he ever looked at her in the first place..."_

"We can talk about it on the way back to your house."

That was what I had settled on before I could explode and made Neko wake up.

I, gently, picked up Neko in my arms and began telling Shikamaru exactly what had happened only a few hours ago. Every detail that she had told me.

It kinda hurt repeating some things, but I didn't rage-quit or anything.

Once we had arrived back at Shikamaru's house, I had just finished up what had happened that night.

"What the hell was Naruto thinking?!" Shik growled, punching the door once we had entered.

I was still angry as well, just from retelling the story.

"How should _I_ know?!"

Temari was lying on the couch, flipping through the channels on the T.V. when she saw Shik and I.

"Oh… hi Shika and Kiba..., and… why's Neko wearing your jacket? I thought she was at Naruto's place."

_"Damn, they better stop reminding me about him before I go insane..."_

I glared at her fiercely, after which I muttered:

"Shik… why don't you tell her while I put Neko in her room?"

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck as I started upstairs.

"Ah, troublesome woman… it's a drag, but this is what happened…"

Before I knew it, I had landed on the second floor of Shik's house.

Even, without trying, I found Neko's room by scent.

It was cleaner than my room was, and _everything_ smelled like her.

_"Heh... this is where she sleeps every night, huh?"_

I looked around for a moment when I spotted her twin blades hanging on a wall.

_"She really takes care of them,"_ I thought as I ran my fingers over their slick sheathes.

"Her swords really are something, aren't they?"

A voice sounded behind me, and I whipped around, only to find Shikamaru leaning on Neko's doorframe, looking bored.

"Yeah," I murmured, trying to show no feeling at all as I said this.

Shik was still smirking.

"Well, I guess you can go if you want to now."

I didn't want to say sure; I wanted to stay with Neko to make sure Naruto didn't come into Shikamaru's house or anything, but I was _not_ going to admit this to anyone.

Also, my mom was going to have my ass handed to me if I didn't leave and be back soon.

What if I came back without my jacket?

I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, not knowing if she was ok or not.

Shikamaru smirked even more broadly as he witnessed me thinking.

"Ok, then. Just make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Shik walked away, and I felt my heart pounding inside of my chest.

_"How did he… know... about my feelings?! Or at least... I think he did..."_

Without thinking about it, I glanced down at Neko to find that she was twitching every few seconds.

Curious, I bent down and took the hood off of her head and saw that she was almost sweating.

_"It's pretty humid..."_

I unzipped my jacket, careful as to not wake her up, and pulled her arms out of the armholes.

Neko stopped moving, and I smiled for a moment as I looked around her room a little more.

I picked up a stack of papers, but they were all blank, so I put them down again.

She had many books in her room, and I glanced at them before noticing a small red velvet bed that reeked of cat. I growled softly, knowing exactly whose bed that was, and continued on.

I picked up a book titled "The Shinobi Way," but I put it back down when I heard footsteps.

Turning just in time, I could see Temari at the door.

"Hey," she smiled, all bright and sunny.

That wasn't typical for Temari, since she was _known_ for her mean temper and attitude toward people she thought were underneath her. I guess I should be worried.

"Hey." I smiled back, not really knowing what to make of her.

"So… I hear that you may or may not, depending on my source, have feelings for Neko here."

Those words hit me kinda hard.

_"Feelings for Neko."_

I knew I did, but having someone else notice them made me go on defense real quickly.

"And who might be your source?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Temari snorted and face-palmed.

"They chose to remain anonymous."

Shikamaru was behind her, and gave me a troll face before walking away.

Temari saw him, though, because I watched her kick him before turning back to me.

"Anyway," she continued. "If you want her to like you back, then why don't you do something to make her feel the same way about you?"

I sighed, giving in.

_"If she knows, what's the point of hiding it from her?"_

"There's about a million reasons why I can't, but the two main ones are the fact that I already have a girlfriend and she has Naruto, _and_ that she would probably never like me again."

Temari shrugged, her eyebrows bouncing up and back down.

"I dunno… it's possible."

My heart stopped.

I didn't expect to hear _that_ response.

"What do you mean 'it's _possible_?!'" I demanded, feeling myself go almost pale in fear that she was just screwing with me.

Temari smirked, looking eerily similar to Shikamaru's troll face.

"Some girls tend to forgive very easily. Me personally, I'm not the type. But Neko is like another little sibling to me, and I remember I broke something very dear to her… I think it was a piece of jewelry, and she was mad about it for a day, but she was fine with me the next day. She didn't even try to get me back."

After listening to that very short story, my eyes widened, thinking of all the possibilities.

"So… you think… you think she might be willing to like me back?"

Temari just shrugged again. "I dunno. That's up to her."

With that, she walked away, closing the door and turning out the light behind her.

I felt all of the air in my lungs leave them as I became almost light-headed with... happiness. Hope.

_"Man, this changes everything,"_ I thought as I gazed at Neko's calm face.

Her injured cheek and shoulder weren't facing me, so I stroked her uninjured cheek with my finger, paying close attention to the way her skin felt.

It made my finger all tingly.

"Mm…" I heard Neko murmur in her sleep.

My ears heated up and I hoped Shik and Temari wouldn't come in unexpectedly.

I'd never hear the end of it.

I turned my attention back to Neko as her fingers extended from her fists, then retracted again.

_"I wish everything wasn't so complicated,"_ I said to her, inwardly.

_"Then, you and I could have that daughter that I was planning on… wait, shit…"_

Realizing what I had just mentally told her, I backed away as my cheeks then became unbearably red.

So red, that my triangles must have damn well been invisible.

Just as I had backed up far enough that I hit the wall, my own words to Hana appeared in my mind:

* * *

_"Is love when all you think about is that one person? When you'd give your life to make sure they're ok? When you get worried because they got a small cut on their leg? When your heart beats only for that person? When just looking at them gives you the strength of a million men? Because that's what I feel for her."_

* * *

I sighed and smiled, remembering the surprised look on my sister's face when I had said that.

_"I do all of those things daily. But... I can't help but feel so guilty that it's not Hinata that I think about instead. I think… I think I might have to break up with her the next time I see her. If I have the balls to, that is. I don't want to hurt her feelings..."_

Subconsciously, I had gotten up and walked back over to Neko's side.

My hand reached out and I touched her shiny-looking hair.

_"It's so soft…"_ I stroked her hair for a moment, and then I just stopped and stared at her face. Her amazing face.

_"She's so beautiful. Heh, and to think that around two months ago, I hated her so much, I wanted to kill her..."_

Neko's chest rose and fell steadily; she took deep breaths in her sleep, and what was so amazing about that is that I couldn't even hear her breathing.

"_Does Temari really think that she could still possibly want to like me? Even be with me? Maybe even... love me?"_

I felt my entire body have a spasm at the thought of her looking at me the way she looked at Naruto. Or at least... the way she used to.

_"Man… I'd do ANYTHING just for her to kiss me again. Just like that time at the pond. ...I guess I could kiss her now, but that's taking advantage of her. The last thing she'd probably want is for me to do that."_

"Enjoying her, Inuzuka?"

My head snapped around to see Shikamaru just standing in the now-open doorframe yet again.

_"When the hell did he get there?! How much did he see?!"_ I thought anxiously, feeling another blush spread throughout my face.

Shikamaru smirked at me.

"You know… if you want to tell her how you feel and get it over with, no one's stopping you."

I shook my head wildly at even the _thought_ of telling her I loved her.

"No! Hell no. I told myself that I was gonna let her be happy without me, and that's what I'm gonna do."

Shik raised an eyebrow at me, then smirked again.

"You seem to have grown in the last week. Heh… but, I couldn't help but notice… where's Talon?"

I felt my throat close up in anger as I growled, letting my teeth show.

"Where Neko left her."

_"Fucking Naruto... I hate to say it, but if he laid a HAND on Neko's partner, I'll tear him to shreds."_

I stood up. "I'll go get her-"

But Shikamaru just held out his hand to stop me.

"You think I'm going to let you go over there?! The moment you laid _eyes_ on Uzumaki, you'd knock his lights out _again_!"

"Damn straight." I growled.

There is no way to explain how much I wanted him dead.

As far as I'm concerned, he'll never, _ever_, be allowed near Neko again if I could help it.

I knew he wasn't right for her.

Shikamaru just shook his head as I got myself out of the depths of my thoughts.

"If it makes you feel any better, _I'll_ go and get Talon and her other things. You just stay here and… take care of her, ok?"

Honestly, that made my job of staying here and doing nothing sound a lot more important.

I glowered at him for a moment, though.

"Sure, Shik. Count on it."

Shikamaru left Neko's room and I managed to turn around as I took a glance at Neko's calm face once more.

I sighed; the sight made me automatically feel soothed as I looked at her for no more than a moment longer.

_"Neko Inari. THE most annoying bitch I've ever met in my life. Yet... I fell in love with her."_

I smirked, but before I could do or think about anything else, surprise, surprise: Temari was at the door yet again.

"Oh, yeah, and Kiba… I don't know if this will be any use to you, but Neko likes it when guys do sweet things for her. Like… buying her flowers and giving her a _jacket_, or just cute little things like that."

She smirked at me, and with that, she closed the door and left the room.

My eyes were wide open at the horrifying thing I had just learned:

_"She likes…sweet guys?! But… I can't be sweet. She keeps going on and on about how mean I am to her. I'll remember this, though."_

I knelt down and stared at her face; she looked so serene and carefree.

Just watching her made me tired.

Before I knew it, though, I was fast asleep.

_"I don't want to be anywhere else right now..."_

* * *

The next morning, I woke up; my head dangerously close to Neko's.

I flew back at the sight and almost hit the wall again.

It was the crack of dawn, and the sun looked beautiful; all of the storm clouds were giving it a lovely entrance as they fled the scene.

I sighed. _"Ok… I think I better get ready to go now, though. My mom is gonna __kill me."_

Desprately not wanting to leave Neko, I walked down the stairs quite slowly to find that Shikamaru was lounging on the couch.

"Shik?" I asked, cautiously.

He opened one eye and stared at me.

"Yeah?"

I took a big gulp.

"Ok… two questions. One, how did getting Neko's things do last night?"

Shikamaru jerked his head to a black lump sitting on his chest as it flicked its tail.

"It went fine. I got everything, and Talon is asleep."

"Ok… and second, how many hours of sleep do you get in a day?"

It might seem like a random question, but I was, honestly, curious.

Shikamaru laughed at me.

"Heh, well, it really depends on the day. Usually, about 12. But if the day was or is a drag, then it could be bumped up to 14-16 hours."

I swallowed.

"Damn. Well, if it's ok with you… I have to deal with facing my mom, and she's _not_ gonna be happy."

Shikamaru laughed at me yet again.

"Well… _my_ mom is a drag, which is part of the reason that I moved out. So… good luck. It'll be easy getting your jacket; Neko doesn't wake up until noon. She's actually kind of a deep sleeper."

I blushed at the thought of her name and her gray eyes blinking open in the sunlight.

"Well… thanks, Shik." I muttered, awkwardly, trying not to show how embarrassed I was.

Shikamaru just grunted as I made my way, quietly, up the stairs again.

Once I stepped into Neko's room again, I was winded by her pose; she was sprawled about the bed with her hands touching my jacket, and she was mewing in her sleep.

_"__She… meows in her sleep?"_

I felt my eyebrow rise in thought for a moment, but I soon lifted her up a bit, only enough to take my jacket, and laid her back down onto her pillow gently.

Neko twitched for a moment, and she stopped meowing and sighed.

I couldn't help but stroke her face with my finger again, longing to feel my skin to hers, and stopped only to whisper:

"Sweet dreams, pussy cat."

I had an idea.

I wanted to try something new.

Running through the motions, I dropped my jacket and got onto my knees, and I pressed my nose to hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss, for only a moment.

Breathing in the scent of her... that was all that I needed.

I got back up and grabbed my jacket, smiling at her, and opened the door partially so Talon, who was waiting outside, could get in.

I pulled on my jacket, and as I geared up to leave, Shikamaru laughed:

"So, Kiba… have you made a decision on what you're going to do about your apparent… feelings about Neko?"

Still burning in embarrassment, I sighed, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

"Tch, that's not _any_ of your business." And walked out of the door.

As soon as I had closed the door, I ran back to my house, where I knew, yet _again,_ that I was in deep shit.

Once inside, the house was quiet.

_"Maybe I got away with it…"_ I thought, as I made my way up, silently, to my room.

I flopped onto my bed and put my jacket next to me, breathing in the sweet scent of Neko. Again. I was addicted to it.

"Heh," I muttered aloud, closing my eyes for only a moment before Akamaru jumped onto my bed.

_"Where were you THIS time?!"_ He demanded to know.

I sighed, ready to re-tell the story to my best friend.

"Ok, buddy… here we go…"

**Neko's POV**

I felt my eyes shoot open as the sun hit my face.

I blinked; where _was_ I?!

_"I can't be...?"_

Taking a quick look around, I realized I was in Shika's house.

"How the hell did I get back here…?" I thought aloud, and Talon jumped onto my bed, looking happy.

"Talon! How'd you get out of Naruto's house?!"

Talon just meowed something about someone coming to get her and take her back here, and I remembered:

_"The person who broke into Shikamaru's house! Is he still here?!"_

I began to sneak down the stairs, but I saw none other than Temari lazing around on the couch, looking content.

The sight compelled me to rush down the stairs.

"Temari?! What… what are _you_ doing home?"

Temari's eyes shot open and a smile came across her face.

"Hey, kiddo! You're finally awake. And after last night, too… anyway, my time in Suna was done. Kankuro pissed me off, so we left early enough to get here at night."

"Night… but that means… did Shikamaru come through here with a kunai?!" I gasped, feeling everything come back to me.

Temari laughed and nodded.

"Hell yeah. He forgot the keys, so he picked the lock. He said that there were two other people in the house and that one of them was you…"

She looked up at me with a sneaky look, and I felt a pang; _Kiba._ Where'd he go? Why would he leave me? Did he get hurt?

Shikamaru walked down the steps, yawning.

"What a drag… hey, Neko, you're awake."

"Shika!" I cried as I hugged him tightly. Then, I pulled away, getting straight to business.

"So… it was _you_ who came in last night with a kunai?"

He laughed.

"Yeah. Why'd you two run?"

I shivered, remembering the moment.

"We were watching Shinobi Hell: Return of the Demons, and I guess we got a little scared."

Temari gasped, her eyes wide.

"Did you get through the _entire_ movie?"

I was ashamed; the only reason we didn't finish it was because I was crying and Kiba turned it off because of that.

"No," I sighed, and Shikamaru put a hand on my shoulder.

"Good, because that stuff would have scarred you for life."

Temari shuddered at the memory, and I changed the subject to something that was bothering me.

"Um… so… um... where's Kiba?"

Shikamaru smirked at me.

"Well… he left this morning only a little earlier.."

I kitted my eyebrows in curiosity. "Why?"

I mean, I thought he was hurt, so to think he walked out of here untoucheed...

Shika laughed.

"He was with you _all night_, so he needed to go home and face his mom."

I felt a small blush light up my cheeks.

_"All night? So… he just went home?"_

Temari smirked.

"Huh. He was _hell-bent_ on staying with you last night. He was worried about Naruto coming to get you or something. I could see it in his face how worried he was about you."

I couldn't stop the next blush that kept engulfing my naturally tanned skin complexion, giving it the faintest trace of red, and Temari laughed.

"Don't you think that was _sweet_ of him?"

I looked away from her, shunning my romantic thoughts.

"Yeah, it was."

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes.

"Hush, Temari. Anyway… what are you gonna do about Naruto?"

_"That's right,"_ I thought as I remembered the blonde knucklehead.

_"I think… I think I should propose going our separate ways. I don't know how I could be with him after that."_

"I think… I'll just tell him that I have my sights on someone else."

I was thinking hard about how exactly she'd even _face_ him now, and that seemed like the route to go.

Shikamaru face-palmed.

"That's exactly what you _don't_ want to tell a guy when you dump them!"

I knitted my eyebrows together,

"But… it's true."

Shikamaru and Temari's eyebrows rose in suspicion, until Temari smirked: "I see who you mean."

Shikamaru frowned and whined:

"Let me in on this one! I don't know what you girl's secret looks mean or anything…"

Temari winked. "Let him figure it out. It's not that hard. It's putting one and one together. Or… two and two together, in this case."

I sighed.

"Ok… but if I'm going to break up with Naruto, then I should go do it now. I'll be back in a while, guys."

I rushed upstairs, got changed into a black jacket, light blue pleated skirt, and a white shirt with a Leaf symbol on it, got Talon off her lazy ass, and rushed out of the door.

**Kiba's POV**

Akamaru was staring at me incredulously.

_"So… is that all?!"_

I nodded, an obvious blush spreading across my face.

"It was pretty tough, and… trying hard _not_ to go and kick Naruto's ass was probably among the hardest things of all."

Akamaru got an evil look on his face.

_"I bet I know what the hardest thing of all was…"_

He wiggled his eyebrows, and I growled: "No, I did _not._ get a boner, Akamaru."

I fell back onto my pillow, thinking about how beautiful she was.

"The hardest thing of all was trying not to kiss her."

Akamaru whimpered.

_"Aww… you really ARE a lovesick puppy. What about Hinata?"_

I felt guilt sting my conscience.

"I think when I see her today… I'm gonna break up with her. It's gotta be done, buddy."

_"Took you long enough,"_ muttered Akamaru.

I just growled and closed my eyes.

"Akamaru… I wonder if she'll ever love me the way I love her now."

Akamaru must have shrugged, but he barked back:

_"I wouldn't know, but last I heard from Talon, she misses you a lot."_

My eyes shot wide open at the thought.

"Really?!"

I looked at the small dog, and Akamaru replied.

_"Yeah. That's all I know, though."_

I growled,

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

_"Because… I wanted to wait until you made the decision on your own."_

I snorted.

"Tch, good excuse. I'm gonna go and take care of this once and for all."

I jumped off of the bed and changed my clothes, then put my jacket on.

"C'mon, Akamaru." Once downstairs, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote:

"_Mom,_

_If you wake up when I'm gone, I just want you to know that I went over to Hinata's to talk some stuff over._

_Be back later (I PROMISE),_

_Kiba"_

I put the paper on the counter, making it so it was hard to miss, and walked out the door.

"Ok, buddy, you ready for this?"

Akamaru barked: _"Finally."_

And the two of us sprinted off to Hinata's mansion.

_"I wish I could love her the way that I love Neko."_

* * *

Yeah, this story is actually almost over. I'm talking, another what, 10 chapters? 15 at most. Anyway, yeah, I had a review that said something about my writing unlocking what romance really is to them, and it'll help them win the heart of their dream girl… I'm responding to that by saying: glad I could help you, I didn't know my work would change lives! :) Heh, well… rate/review!

10/24/12: Hell yeah! Anyway, it is the awesome Anko Mitarashi's birthday today! xD Yay. I LOVE THIS CHAPTER'S NAME. NOT EVEN JOKING! I also love Shika's little troll face over there :P I had to.

Wondering why Kiba always talks about Neko? It's because he loves her. xD

xD Rate/Review!


	36. Breaking Up: Best For Both Worlds

_Flashback:_

_I put the paper on the counter, making it so it was hard to miss, and walked out the door._

_"Ok, buddy, you ready for this?"_

_Akamaru barked: "Finally."_

_And the two of us sprinted off to Hinata's mansion._

_"I wish I could love her the way that I love Neko."_

Chapter 36: Breaking Up: Best for Both Worlds

**Neko's POV**

I ran to Naruto's house, feeling upset and happy at the same time.

_"I wonder what I'm going to do and say…? I mean, how am I even going to look him in the eye without remembering last night?"_

Talon looked up at me with no particular emotion, and meowed something about being prepared to kick Naruto's ass if he laid a hand on me.

"Oh, Talon," I smiled. "Only you would."

Talon just rolled her eyes and flicked her tail without saying anything else.

Once I reached Naruto's door, that's when things got serious. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes briefly.

_"Will he still be mad?"_

Before I could stop and think over what I was going to say to Naruto, he opened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"So I heard Shik came home."

I felt lightheaded at the sight of him; he looked tired. More than tired… exhausted. Like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. There was even some dried blood on his chin still.

"Yeah…" I breathed, trying not to remember the anger in his blue eyes.

Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at me.

"Look, Neko… I'm sorry I hit you last night. I was feeling… guilty. When you brought up spinning the bottle… and asking me who I kissed… it made me almost explode. The one that I _did_ kiss last night was Hinata."

He looked earnest, so I knew that he was serious.

"How did Kiba take that?" I asked, feeling a little more than confused.

Kiba and Hinata were going out, right? So... if Kiba reacted the way he did when Naruto hit me... it was hard to imagine what had happened then.

Naruto looked like he was thinking back.

"I dunno. He told Hinata something about… it being ok and that it was just a game."

_"So... he was ok with it? Wonder how that's even possible... I thought he hated Naruto..."_

I haven't been so confused in what seemed like days.

I couldn't help but smile as I tried to cut to the chase.

"Oh… well, I forgive you, Naruto, but… I-I think we should-"

"Go our separate ways?" Naruto completed my sentence without even moving a muscle or showing any emotion at all.

I widened my eyes. _"How did he know...?"_

"Y-yeah."

He smiled very caringly at me.

"Yeah, I actually couldn't agree more. I mean, it's not like I don't like you anymore or anything, but since the party… I realized that I've always had feelings for another girl. I'm sorry about hurting you, too. I wasn't thinking about it... That's why I need the other girl. She was the one I was thinking about. I'm sorry."

I nodded. I got where he was coming from. "Yeah…"

He smiled at me again, looking almost relieved that I had understood.

"It's alright. Well… I'll see you later?"

I smiled back at him.

"Yeah, sure."

Talon meowed at him, pawing at his hair from her perch on my shoulder, as if nothing had happened the previous night.

I giggled a little bit.

"She always wants to play with your hair!"

Naruto smiled widely at me, his blue eyes showing that he knew something, but, as usual, the secret was known only to himself.

"As always."

I began to back away from his door, and he closed it, a small smile on his face.

"Well, Talon, that was easier than I expected it to be, huh?" I asked the black cat that was sitting on my shoulder.

Talon didn't even answer; she just flicked her tail as if she knew something that I didn't.

We were making our way back to Shikamaru's house when we saw Kiba walking the streets.

As he passed the two of us, he looked away and I could see the faint blush on his face.

_"Stupid dog."_

No matter how annoyed I tried to sound whenever I thought that, it always sounded so endearing.

I turned to his retreating back.

"Got something to be embarrassed about, dog boy?"

He didn't even turn to look back at me, with Akamaru on his head, as he muttered: "Shut up, pussy cat."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Akamaru had given Talon a knowing look, and I asked: "What was _that_ all about?"

Talon just sighed and didn't say anything in particular.

I turned again to face Kiba's retreating back, and, smirking, I turned back around and headed back to Shikamaru's house.

My work was over with.

_"Dumb dog..."_

**Kiba's POV**

As I made my way to Hinata's mansion, after passing a certain girl, I growled at Akamaru: "She's so much better when she's not annoying, boy."

Akamaru just shrugged at me.

_"You two argue like an old married couple." _

The thought of us being married made me go on defense as I growled, feeling another blush stain my cheeks.

"Shut up."

I reached Hinata's mansion faster than I expected and rang the doorbell.

Neji answered, looking happy for once in his life.

"Hinata, it's Kiba," and he left, a small smile on his face.

_"How uncharacteristic..."_ I thought.

Hinata came to the door with a smile on her face.

"Kiba. It's been a while, but I have something to talk to you about."

I smiled politely at her.

"Same here, but first… why is Neji so… happy?"

She giggled. "He's got a date with Tenten tonight… but, do you mind if we go to the park and talk about this?"

I nodded. "Sure."

The two of us walked to the park, Akamaru now walking in between us.

We sat down on a bench next to the fountain, and I started: "How about you go first?"

Hinata took a deep breath. "I think we should… see new people."

I couldn't help but admit that I was surprised; I thought _I _was going to have to be the one to say it. You know, break the news.

"Oh really?" I murmured, trying to seem a little... you know, upset about it. Of course, I had been happy with Hinata. Maybe if things had been a little different... we could have been together longer.

Though, I knew I wouldn't have been as happy with her as I would have been with Neko.

Hinata blushed and nodded. "I think… I may have feelings for someone else, if that's ok."

I just nodded in response.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, because I was going to ask if we could break up, too."

Hinata took another deep breath and nodded, looking away almost nervously.

"So… we can still be friends?"

I smiled widely. "Of course!"

She laughed for a moment. "Ok… I was just wondering."

I had to know, so I asked:

"Just out of curiosity… who's the guy you like?"

Hinata blushed even more fiercely than normal. "Um… n-no one! You'll find out later, bye!"

She jumped off of the bench and ran back toward her mansion, and I could even see her ears turning red as her hair flew back.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow as I murmured aloud to Akamaru: "Do you know what that was all about, boy?"

Akamaru didn't answer me, and I got up, heading the other way.

"Well… we're going back home, buddy."

The whole way there... I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Neko, that is.

_"She's still with Naruto... why can't she see... that I'd never do that to her? Maybe in the past... but not now. No."_

**Neko's POV**

I reached Shikamaru's house slowly, and when I entered, I could see him sitting on the steps, his eyes closed and leaning back in a lazy way.

"Back so soon?"

"Yeah," I smiled as Talon jumped off of my shoulder and onto Shikamaru's head, like normal.

"Talon… sometimes you irritate me," Shikamaru sighed, but Talon dug her claws into his hair in response, making him shut up.

I laughed, but almost as soon as I did, I felt exhausted.

"Move, Shika; I'm gonna go take a quick nap."

"But… you _just_ woke up…" Temari was talking to me from the top of the stairs.

"Too bad, Temari; I need my sleep!"

I ran to my room and shut the door, not caring if Talon was behind me, as I fell onto my bed.

_"So… Kiba was… here? In my room? I wonder what he did, where he slept…"_

My cheeks heated up at my own thoughts about where he could have slept as I shifted into a comfortable position.

_"I hate these feelings that are coming back when I think about him. I want him, but… it's just so confusing. I can't have him; he'd never want me, and he's still with Hinata..."_

Biting my own lip, I flicked my hair out of my face and closed my eyes.

_"Would he ever want me? Even back in the pond that day... did he even want me then?"_

With that thought, I fell into a light sleep, only to be woken up what seemed like an hour later.

"There's someone at the door for you," Shikamaru was smirking down at me.

_"Who could it be?! I swear, if it's some sort of bluff..."_

**Kiba's POV**

I walked through the doors to my own home, and as soon as I got inside, a shoe hit the side of my head, knocking me to the side.

_"Who the hell...?"_

I couldn't help but growl, but it was just Hana as she glared at me.

"What do you think you're doing?! Leaving a note and not bothering to-"

"Hinata and I broke up, Hana." I muttered, trying to avoid any stupid conversations with my sister. They can get pretty complicated, but even more so when it comes to relationships.

"…What?" Hana looked perplexed, like she didn't hear me, but I knew she did.

I only nodded.

"Yeah. It was mutual, don't worry about it. She's falling for some other guy, and if she thinks it's best to not be together anymore, that's fine by me; I have my own dream girl to chase."

The reluctance I said it with... I didn't want to say it that way anymore.

I wanted to tell everyone with confidence that I had a dream girl.

Hana rubbed my head like I was an actual dog.

"Go and get her little brother… go and get her."

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion.

"I can't. She's still with…" I bore my teeth at the thought of this bastard. "Naruto."

"Huh," Hana was now lying on the couch, looking confused again. "What's up with the way you're saying his name?"

I felt a sudden need to punch something as I growled, thinking about last night; "He hit her, Hana."

Hana's eyes widened as she flew off the couch, facing me. "Are you _serious_?!"

I shook my head, trying to clear all of the images in my head and supress the bloodthirsty beast that was threatening to explode out of me.

"No… I wanted to beat the shit out of him. That's _all_ I fucking want to do… but she wouldn't let me."

The memory of how distraught Neko had been when I was about to kick Naruto's fucking ass... how she told me to let him go...

I balled up my fists.

"But what… what she doesn't see… is that I fucking love her, and I'd _never_ fucking hit her. But she's still all over _him_, and he's _abusing_ her; making her cry, putting her in pain… I don't even know why the hell she's still with him..."

I took a deep breath, and through my vision, I could see that Hana's eyes were wide open.

"You're in pretty deep, aren't you, Kiba?"

I stared at her for a moment, soaking that in, but I looked away after a moment.

"I guess I am… but…"

"So, Kiba… I heard you're in _love_."

The two of us both turned to see that Tsume was standing there with Kuromaru, her arms crossed over her chest.

She was smirking, one of those smirks thta makes you wonder what she knew, and Hana snorted.

"Mom… this kid..." she gestured to me. "...is just mad, that's all."

She turned to look at me.

"Why might that be?"

I growled in frustration:

My mom didn't understand the first thing _about_ love, so I absolutely _dreaded_ talking to her about it.

I mean, why the hell did she scare my dad away then, huh?

"How much of that talk did you hear?" I asked, letting out a deep breath.

Tsume shrugged. "Most of it, I guess. That rant right there was probably one of the most dedicated things I've ever heard from you."

I stopped growling and just stared at my mom, with her confused eyes.

I wanted to tell her about Neko.

How she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met.

Everything about her... how the two of them would get along perfectly...

We all know why I can't though.

"Mom… it's all true." I tried distracting myself from thoughts of Neko.

Tsume got a few tears in her eyes as I said this, and she murmured, wiping them: "Go get her."

I stared even more blankly at her.

_"What? Go GET her?! The hell is she talking about?"_

Tsume whiped her eyes once more.

"You heard me, Kiba. Go get her! If you're willing to love her and do as many things for her as you've told us about, then she can't turn you down no matter what. She has to love you the way you love her. There's no other way…"

Even Hana was tearing up as my mother kept talking.

"I agree, Kiba. It's not so much of a bad thing to go and talk to her. Show her how much you care about her, and she'll care about you in the same way."

I sighed, agreeing with them.

"Fine. But if this doesn't work, and she rejects me as hard as I think she will… I'll never _ever_ come out of my room. I'm not joking with that one. I wouldn't be able to show my face again if I think that she doesn't love me the way that I love her."

I sprinted out of the door, feeling almost invincible, as I ran to Shikamaru's house.

Adrenaline wouldn't let me stop to think, so I rang the doorbell, literally almost punching it, and Shikamaru answered.

As soon as he saw me, he smirked.

"Back again so soon, Inuzuka?"

I only shrugged.

"Is Neko here?!"

My voice sounded almost eager, and I wanted to punch myself.

Shikamaru's eyebrows creased.

"She's asleep. Why, what do you need her for?"

But Temari pushed him out of the way, not allowing me to answer.

"Just let the poor boy in, Shika."

Once I was inside the house, Shikamaru was rubbing his head.

"Troublesome woman… I'll go get her."

I sat with my back against the door now, and Temari smirked at me.

"So… you're finally realizing your feelings."

I just shrugged for the second time. "So?"

Temari smirked even more broadly now.

"You fuck up… it's over. The first time can sometimes be forgiven, like in her case, but the second time… it's over."

Suddenly feeling a bit discouraged, I growled: "I'm not gonna let _anything_ happen to her."

I knew that if I let something happen to Neko at this point in time, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

Temari's eyes widened. "Really? What if enemy nin came and took her away?"

I bore my teeth at the _thought_ of something like that happening to her.

"She wouldn't be able to be taken away, because I would have killed them before they got the chance."

I watched as Temari's eyebrows rose.

"But what if one enemy went behind your back and took her when you were fighting the others?"

Even thought this was completely hypothetical, I felt ashamed; I'd _never_ let myself be blinded like that.

Especially when it came to Neko's safety.

"Then, I'd chase him down and kill him."

That's when Temari's gaze turned almost sinister.

"What if… by the time you caught up to him… he had already killed her?"

I felt my heartbeat stop for one… two… three… four… beats at the thought of _anything_ like that happening to Neko, and he muttered, looking into Temari's eyes, nearly unable to get the words out:

"I'd kill myself for letting her die."

Temari looked almost confused, much like my sister.

"Why would you do that?"

I tightened my fists.

"If I can't even protect her, and I let her die… then why the hell would I deserve to live?! I don't deserve a life if I can't stop people from hurting her. I'd give my _life_ to make sure that no one _ever_ hurt her again… and I'm sure as hell gonna be the last person to ever treat her _anything_ like the way Naruto did last night. I love her. It's not gonna change."

Having finally gotten that off of my chest, I watched as Temari walked around, pacing.

"So… you really do… love her?"

I nodded without a moment's hesitation.

"More than anything."

She looked at me for a second, then snorted. "Prove it."

My eyes widened. "How the hell can I do that?!"

Temari shrugged. "Figure it out. I'll wait."

Growling, I thought about it for a moment.

_"Romantic... sweet... let me think for a second... Oh, I've got it!"_

I then pulled out a kunai from my pouch and held it to my neck.

"If I _ever_ hurt her. In _any_ fucking way. I'll do it."

Temari smirked at me.

"Psh. You won't do it. That doesn't prove…"

But I sliced my skin without a second thought, from my the bottom of my jaw to my collarbone. Not deep enough to hurt me, but not whimpy enough that there wasn't any blood.

"For the record... I already have our future together planned." I whispered, feeling blood well from the wound, making me almost sick to my stomach now.

_"Damn..."_

Temari's mouth was agape.

"But… but you didn't… hurt her…"

I growled. "The moment I _lost_ her, I hurt her."

She backed away, almost tripping over her own two feet.

"L-let me… get you some… bandages…"

As she ran to the bathroom, I put my kunai away, and watched as Shikamaru and Neko came down the stairs.

The first sight of Neko's still-tired eyes had me hooked.

_"No matter what time of day it is... she never ceases to look pretty."_

When Shikamaru saw me, his eyebrow rose, and Neko made a frown-like face.

"Kiba… what'd you _do_?!" She asked, sounding worried.

I smiled, feeling almost on cloud 9.

"I proved a point. Let's hang out; I've got nothing to do today, pussy cat."

Neko was now kneeling next to me.

"How'd that happen?!"

As soon as she asked that, Temari rushed back to my side and tried to bandage my wound, but I pushed her away.

"It's nothing to hide, Temari."

She gasped, eyes wide in shock, and she ran back to the bathroom, wiping her eyes.

"What a drag… Temari, what's wrong?!"

Shikamaru rushed after her, and Neko grabbed my shoulders.

"What's wrong, Kiba?!"

I smiled at her, trying not to show her how much I care about her just yet.

"Let's go. I want to hang out with you today."

Neko only looked at me for a moment, and the second our eyes met, I noticed her cheeks turn a lighter color as she murmured: "Uh… lead the way…"

Standing up, I took her hand and opened the door.

"Where do you wanna go?"

She smiled and looked away from me.

"How about… the park… yet again?!"

I laughed. "Sure. Let's go."

The two of us set off for the park, but I could still hear Temari crying even when we closed the door and were several paces away from the house.

* * *

Aww… Temari was crying because she thinks that's too sweet to handle :P I just got THE most EXCELLENT idea… for another OC story. Almost done with the first chap, so look for it, I guess… xD Rate/Review!

10/27/12: Sorry I'm late with this one, guys! Anyway, it's hebi-teme's birthday today! (Orochimaru-sama) xD Troll snake. ;D Anyway, yeah. This chapter was ok, I guess. Rate/Review!

SORRY IF I GOT THE CUTTING PART WRONG; I RESEARCHED IT FOR HOURS! D:


	37. Didn't See THAT Coming!

_Flashback:_

_"Let's go. I want to hang out with you today."_

_Neko only looked at me for a moment, and the second our eyes met, I noticed her cheeks turn a lighter color as she murmured: "Uh… lead the way…"_

_Standing up, I took her hand and opened the door._

_"Where do you wanna go?"_

_She smiled and looked away from me._

_"How about… the park… yet again?!"_

_I laughed. "Sure. Let's go."_

_The two of us set off for the park, but I could still hear Temari crying even when we closed the door and were several paces away from the house._

Chapter 37: Didn't See THAT Coming!

**Neko's POV**

I walked side-by-side with Kiba to the park, and I wondered what was on his mind.

_"Why would he come all this way just to talk to me? It's a shorter distance to Hinata's house, so why isn't he with her?"_

I couldn't deny that I didn't want him to be with anyone except for me, but I was confused as to _why_ he was with _me_.

Kiba looked down at me as my thoughts spiraled out of control.

"So… how'd you sleep last night?"

Not expecting that, I felt a blush come up my cheeks.

"Ok, I guess. How about you?"

He looked at me with the most intense stare I had ever seen, as if he wanted to say a million things, but he just settled for "Fine."

We walked in silence until we came to the park, and I ran up to the fountain immediately.

Kiba didn't run with me, he just kept walking like nothing had ever happened in his life.

When I reached the fountain, I smirked.

_"I bet Kiba will get annoyed if I splash him with water."_

I looked up to see Kiba stop beside me, and I caught his eyes.

"Hey," I started, hiding my smirk.

His eyebrow rose in confusion. "Hey…"

Fast as lightning, I splashed him with water in the face.

I watched as his eyes narrowed in confusion, but he looked back at me and smiled softly. "Good one."

Honestly, I was confused beyond comprehension.

_"How… how could he not be angry with me?! Any other day, he'd have killed me."_

I couldn't help but notice the cut on his neck again.

_"What happened to him...? Did Temari_ hit_ him or something?!"_

"Kiba," I started with his name.

He looked down at me, wiping the water off of his face.

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get that cut?"

I watched as he smiled softly again, even letting out a little chuckle.

"I'll tell you later, pussy cat."

In the middle of his laughing, his smile changed.

It was one of those cute half-smiles that he only gave to Akamaru.

He'd never looked at me like that in my life...

I felt my cheeks turn even more red than they'd been before.

"Is it… is it bothering you?"

Kiba just smiled even more widely at me.

"No, it's not bothering me. Come on, let's go. Is there anything you want to do?"

"_Why does he want to know what I want to do?"_

I smiled at him.

"Why don't we go and find Hinata? Maybe she'll want to hang out with us!"

Kiba just looked away from me as I mentioned her.

"I dunno. She ran away from me earlier."

I was surprised; why would Hinata run away from Kiba?

"Why?"

He stared at me and looked away almost awkwardly. "Because I asked who she had eyes on… we're not together anymore."

I felt my heart skip a beat; really?

This was what I had been _waiting_ for… but it seemed almost like a _miracle_, because Naruto and I had broken up as well.

"I'm sorry…" I murmured.

Kiba just smiled at me yet again. "Don't be. I have my eyes on another girl... and I knew it all along."

With that, I felt pain in my heart; who could _that_ be? It was as if I had lost him again, and I felt full of sadness instantly.

_"...Who could it be?! Why... why does he..."_

As soon as that was said, though, I saw movement out of my left eye, making me almost forget about everything for a moment, and I turned to look, along with Kiba.

What we saw was both unlikely and surprising: Naruto and Hinata were out for a walk.

Holding hands.

Smiling and blushing.

I could feel Kiba stiffen beside me as he asked: "Are you and him… still…?"

But I shook my head. "We broke up this morning."

Kiba sighed. "I guess that settles that, huh?"

I looked up at him, confused. "Settles what?"

He didn't answer as he took my hand in his firm grip and began walking me over to the other couple.

We were so close together... it made me... tingle.

Naruto saw us first and he froze.

"Hey Neko; hey Kiba."

He sounded pretty relaxed, and Hinata blushed and nodded to the two of us as we approached.

Kiba's face was unreadable. "Hey, Naruto and Hinata."

I couldn't do anything as I held onto his hand even tighter, and Naruto smirked at Kiba.

"So… did you two _finally_ decide to make your relationship pubic or what?"

I felt pain nearly choke me for a moment.

Kiba growled at him.

"Don't push it; we were never together in the first place." and he dropped my hand for the moment, although his knuckles still brushed mine.

Hinata was blushing quite fiercely. "Well, Kiba, does this answer the question that I asked you earlier?"

I looked up at him, and he was nodding, his eyes closed for a moment as if he was in deep thought.

Naruto smirked at us.

"Huh. Well, the two of us have a date at Ichiraku's. You two wanna come?"

Kiba was about to answer, but I cut in. "No thanks… uh, I figure on your first date… you two would want some time alone."

Naruto looked at me questionably. "Oh… alright then, if you're sure."

He grasped Hinata's hand tighter, and walked toward Ichiraku's without looking back at the two of us.

I felt nearly hollow with shock; I hadn't seen that coming. Not in a billion years.

Kiba must have been just as bad, because he was staring into the space where they had disappeared.

We stood in silence for a moment, until Kiba looked down at me and asked a random question: "Do you want to meet my sister?"

I was even more surprised; not only by the fact that Kiba wanted me to meet some of his family, but also by the fact that it was so… random.

However, I couldn't say no. I was curious.

"Sure, Kiba…"

I smiled at him as he took my hand again and smiled back at me, his eyes sparkling.

"You know, pussy cat, you're not that bad when you want to be."

I didn't know how to take that, so I leaned into him for only a moment.

"Thanks."

His entire body stiffened as I did so, much to my heart's content, and he nodded awkwardly.

"No problem."

As we traveled to Kiba's house, he told me all about Hana, his sister.

"She likes most people… in fact, I don't think there's one person on Earth that she hates, besides me, on a daily basis. She's a vet, so she's good with most animals, and…"

This statement made me stop him in the middle of his sentence. "Doesn't that mean… she'll hate me? My last name… my clan…"

Kiba was staring down at me with unreadable eyes.

"No. Don't worry about it; Hana is _nothing_ like that."

No matter how much he tried to assure me, I was still kind of apprehensive about the whole situation, and I didn't know what I was going to say if she asked me about being an Inari.

_"I hope... she doesn't know..."_

The two of us reached Kiba's house, and a girl was standing in the yard, looking at the house. I assumed that it was Hana.

I couldn't deny that Kiba's house was a breathtaking sight; it was illuminated by the sun, and made easy on the eyes with the trees blocking most of the sunlight.

Kiba yelled, breaking the silence:

"Hey, Hana. Whatcha doing?"

Hana turned around.

"I dunno… I was thinking about painting the house…"

Her eyes drifted to me, making me swallow.

"Hmm… and who might _this_ be?"

Kiba gave Hana a smile that I didn't quite understand, and Hana's eyes adjusted into almost joy.

I could almost hear Kiba's smirk as he whispered in my ear:

_"Let me talk to her for a second…"_

He dropped my hand, slowly, and walked over to Hana.

Not before smiling at me and rubbing our knuckles together one more time, though.

**Kiba's POV**

I made my way over to Hana, feeling nothing but immense happiness at the thought of Neko and I becoming friends again.

As I reached Hana, she whispered: "So… that's _the_ girl?"

I felt a small blush crawl up my cheeks as I nodded.

"Be nice to her. We've just begun to become friends again. I wanted you to meet her before mom because… she's not… the typical… girl… that an Inuzuka… should go for."

Hana gave me an almost angry look. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

I sighed. "She's an… Inari. But _don't. tell. mom; _she'll kill me or something. This girl… she means _everything_ to me. Her name is Neko, and she's the most beautiful girl I've ever laid _eyes_ on, _please_ Hana… just accept her."

_"I don't normally like to result to begging like this… but Hana has to understand,"_ I thought to myself, biting my lip.

At first, Hana just looked at me with an unreadable expression on her face, but she sighed.

"Ok. I would have never guessed anyway; she doesn't have a cat with her, so hell yeah I'll accept her."

I shrugged. "She left the damn thing at Shikamaru's house. Trust me; I'm not that fond of it, but it'll take some getting used to. However, Talon, that's her cat's name, and Akamaru _actually_ get along."

Without waiting for a reply, I walked back over to Neko, who was surveying the flowers in my yard, and murmured to her: "C'mon… Hana wants to meet you."

Neko looked up at me from studying some bees.

"Oh... okay."

_"Is that... worry?"_

Staring into her eyes, I recognized many emotions that I didn't want her to have, but there was one I definately didn't want to see:

Fear of rejection.

I took her hand and squeezed it for only a moment as we made our way over to Hana.

As soon as the two of us were standing in front of her, Hana smiled at Neko.

"Oh… hi, I'm Hana, if you don't already know."

Neko looked up at her and smiled the most brilliant smile I had ever seen, making my heartbeat go out of control.

"Hello. I'm Neko; it's nice to meet you. Kiba must have grown up with a strong female influence."

The two girls shook hands and Hana laughed: "Damn straight he did!"

Neko and Hana seemed to immediately hit it off with each other.

I felt almost like a third wheel when the two of them began to talk about small, trivial things, such as the weather and how life in the village was going for all of them.

However, after a minute, Hana looked at me with a devious glint in her eyes.

"Aww… is Kiba getting _jealous_?!"

I couldn't help but notice that Neko had giggled and looked away, and I growled: "Why would I be jealous?"

"Maybe because there's a guy over there staring at her and she likes it."

Neko looked up at Hana, but I whipped around, my only thought being _"Where is he?"_

_"If this bastard even THINKS about it, I'll kick his ass."_

Hana laughed at me when I discovered that there was nothing there.

"You're so gullible!"

As my head whipped back around, Neko caught my eyes and she giggled at me.

All I could manage was a small smile as I stared back at her.

"Can't help it."

**Neko's POV**

I couldn't help but notice Kiba's face as he looked at me; it was like he had automatically calmed down.

Kiba looked up at Hana and snorted. "We've got better things to do than sit around here listening to you prank me."

Hana's eyes widened. "You said that like you two are connected."

I felt a slight blush nearly permanently stain my cheeks as Kiba stiffened. "Well… we are."

He held up our conjoined hands for only a moment, and then continued: "Yeah, Hana… I'll see _you_ later."

Hana smiled at me.

"Well, if that's the case… then I'll give your boyfriend what's coming to him."

I looked down at the ground.

"He's not… my boyfriend."

I could feel Kiba's hold on my hand become tighter suddenly as he growled:

"Yeah, get your facts straight, sis."

All Hana did was snort and walk back into their house.

"Psh. Bye, you two have fun."

As soon as Hana closed the door, Kiba turned and began pulling me in the opposite direction. "C'mon."

"But Kiba! Wait...!"

I started crying out to him as he stopped for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Um... nevermind."

I felt so nervous, I probably almost pissed herself right there, but I stayed silent for the remainder of the trip.

Once we were back at the park, I turned to Kiba, who had also been almost silent as we walked back.

"Kiba… your sister… she's nice."

Kiba looked down at me. "Really?"

I nodded, and he smiled. "Glad _you_ think so. She enjoys teasing me and everything, which kind of gets on my nerves, so… yeah."

"I could tell," I laughed, making Kiba turn away from me for a moment before grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

"Come here, pussy cat."

His voice made me shiver from the neck down as we sat down on a bench that was far from everything else.

I couldn't help but sigh. "It's such a great day!"

Kiba looked up at the cloudless sky. "Yeah, it is."

We sat in silence, until I felt a strong arm curling around my waist.

My head snapped up and I could see Kiba staring aimlessly into space, and holding me while he was at it.

_"It's as if he doesn't even notice…"_ I feld almost faint at the thought of his actions toward me being second nature.

I felt only happiness at the feeling of sitting with Kiba and not fighting like we used to.

_"He's become… different toward me since then. Like… he's a different person. I always tried to get him to like me, or at least accept me, but he never seemed to want to. Until now..."_

That's when I felt his hand move and our bodies press closely together in my deeply concentrated state, and he was looking down at me with one eye, whereas the other was closed.

I moved away as fast as I could, feeling almost self-conscious about how close he was to me.

"What's the matter?" Kiba had sat up and was now looking at me with a worried expression.

I sighed. "Nothing, just… I'm sorry about being so close to you and... and making you uncomfortable… I didn't notice-"

He shook his head, another smirk on his face.

"It's alright. It's not the first time you've ever done it. I'm fine with it."

I felt a giggle escape from my lips out of random, and Kiba raised his eyebrow at me. "What's so funny, pussy cat?"

My hand was placed firmly over my mouth.

"Nothing…" my response was muffled by my hand.

However, it seemed like he didn't believe me, and he snatched me by my waist and fell onto the ground with me in his grasp.

I let out a faint squeal.

"Kiba! Let me go!"

I heard his laugh.

"Tch, pussy cat; don't lie to me! What were you laughing about?"

I tried to pull out of his tight grip. "Ah…"

Sweating already, I wondered how the hell Kiba could wear a jacket after moving so much.

"It's too hot to be wearing a _jacket_, Kiba." I growled at him.

Kiba just sighed, letting me up suddenly.

"You just want to see my abs, don't you, pussy cat?"

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment; that was actually the last thing on my mind. I had only been thinking about how hot it was outside.

"No!" I gasped.

He smirked at me again. "You don't have to… I have a shirt on underneath my jacket today."

Kiba unzipped his jacket, and he was clearly wearing a grey t-shirt with blue rims underneath. He threw his jacket to the side, and sighed:

"Ah… thanks for the suggestion, pussy cat. It feels a _lot_ better now."

Just staring at him... I couldn't seem to wipe the blush off of my face, and Kiba must have noticed; he got up and kept trying to see my face, but I kept looking away.

"Let me see…" Kiba growled at me, sounding almost angry.

"No… you're not scary, Kiba." I smirked, and I suddenly heard a menacing growl-like noise from beside me.

I turned to see Kiba glaring at me, and I got up and began running away, only to be pounced on again.

"Ok, ok! You're scary!" I squealed, feeling his arms curl around my waist again as he glared down at my face.

Kiba got off of me. "That's what I _thought_, pussy cat."

I thought he sounded more amused than matter-of-fact-like, and he was now lying down on the grass next to me, his chest going up and down at a normal pace.

I watched him take a deep breath as I sat up and started to lean toward him.

"Hey," he murmured, suddenly.

I stared at him, confused. "What?"

Kiba paused for a moment before smiling.

"I like how you haven't slapped me yet."

My face erupted in a smile as I snickered: "I'll do it later. You're too bearable to slap right now."

He closed his eyes now, putting his arms behind his head.

"Pussy cat, if you slap me, I will turn your life into a living hell."

I only snorted in response.

"Psh. Good luck, dog boy. You'd never hurt me… would you?" The last two words were said in a whisper.

Kiba's eyes shot wide open as he turned his whole head to look at me.

"Not on purpose, pussy cat."

"And why wouldn't you hurt me on purpose?" I asked, wondering what his response would be.

_"Maybe... it will be... because he loves me back..."_

He stared at me for a moment, but replied: "Without you… life would be different. Who would I tease and make fun of on a normal basis?"

"Oh," I sighed, feeling kind of disappointed; what _should_ I have expected?

An entire biography on how much he loves me?

Kiba suddenly scrambled to a semi-sitting position, his eyes betraying confusion. "What's with the long face, pussy cat?"

I looked away. "Nothing."

Obviously seeing straight through this, he growled at me: "What's wrong?"

Seeing this as an opportunity, I couldn't help but backhand him on the cheek hard enough to make him flinch.

My arms were held behind me in a heartbeat as Kiba snarled from behind me: "I _told_ you not to hit me, pussy cat."

"I didn't believe you'd _do_ anything, dog boy." I growled back at him.

My head fell into the crook of his neck and I began to purr; I hoped that it was full-proof so he would let me go.

Feeling his body lock up, I smiled; I knew I had him wrapped around my finger now.

He let me go, just as I planned, and I looked up in time to catch him blushing.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" I asked, putting a hint of a purr in my voice for added effect. "Where's the 'living hell'?"

He looked away from me, his eyes sharpening.

"Tch, I changed my mind, pussy cat."

I frowned. "Why? I wanted to see what you would do…"

Kiba cut me off as he muttered: "I wouldn't _ever _do _anything_ to you."

That one sentence, those seven words, were enough to make me freeze in my tracks with the most intense blush I had ever experienced.

"Wh… why?" I stammered, feeling the world around me slur as I met his sharp eyes.

He looked like he was about to answer me, but he smirked.

"What's up with the blush, pussy cat?"

I frowned as I murmured: "Please answer my question."

Kiba stopped in his tracks, looking defeated, and muttered again.

"Well… it's not because I _won't _do anything to you... it's that I _can't_ do anything to you."

I felt my breath catch in my throat. "Why?"

He growled, his eyes sharpening once again.

"Well, for starters, Shikamaru would kick my ass, and I've seen him angry. He hauls ass faster than anything I've ever seen him before."

"And?!" I pushed on, and Kiba laughed at me, reaching out and touching my hair suddenly.

"Anxious, huh? Well… also… I couldn't do anything to you. It'd haunt me. That's why I never actually _hit_ you back when you slap me; because it makes me nervous. I don't wanna actually _hurt_ you. Not like Naruto did."

I felt… on top of the world after he revealed this to me.

Smiling, I edged closer to him as he let go of a strand of hair.

"Oh… so you care about my feelings?"

The question made Kiba stop just to widen his eyes.

"Well, uh…" he sounded awkward, and I smiled even wider. "Yes?"

Kiba looked away from me. "Yeah. Happy, pussy cat?"

He then suddenly got a smirk on his face. "While we're confessing… why _do_ you always slap me in the face, pussy cat?"

I returned his smirk.

"Because you're _so_ mean to me. Maybe if you were nice, then I'd stop."

He growled at me.

"I'm not mean to you. If I was _mean,_ then I'd hurt you. And I'm not gonna do that. Ever. Or... you know... I'll try not to hurt you... emotionally, that is..."

His voice had gotten softer as he said this, making my face feel like it was on fire.

Kiba snorted when he stopped mumbling and stared at my face.

"Are you sick or something? Is _that_ why you've been nonstop blushing today, pussy cat?"

I slapped him in the face. "No. See? You're _not_ nice."

**Kiba's POV**

I stared at her as I rubbed my cheek. "I never said I was _nice_," I muttered.

Neko stood up and walked away, then came back over with my jacket.

"Can I wear it?" She asked me, giving me her _best_ begging eyes, and I almost said no, but then Temari's advice popped into my head.

_"Neko likes sweet guys."_

"Um... ok." My voice sounded small to me, but watching Neko's eyes light up the way they did made it worth it.

Her face erupted into a huge smile.

"Thank you, Kiba!"

Immediately, she slid my jacket on, and honestly, I had never noticed how big it was on her.

I couldn't help but snort.

"Tch, pussy cat. You look so dumb."

I could hear her gasp.

"Why are you so mean?! I don't look that bad, Kiba, and you _know_ it."

That made me feel guilty as I muttered:

"You're right... sorry."

Neko suddenly walked up to my head as I lied down and looked up at her.

She sat down, her legs at my head, as she asked:

"Can I play with your hair?"

I only snorted at the very _thought_ of her touching my hair.

"Tch, no. If you were my _girlfriend_, I might consider it. But since you're _not,_ no."

I glared up at her, but I could see her eyes getting sparkly; the same way they did when she was about to cry.

"Oh... okay..."

I closed my eyes when my thoughts interrupted me:

_"What the hell are you doing?! If she wants to play with your hair, let her play with your hair, idiot!"_

I could almost _hear_ Temari's angry voice.

Maybe I'd have to go to her for more advice if Neko and I... if we ever hung out again.

"Neko." I opened my eyes again, and I could see her staring down at me.

"Yes?"

Man, was she beautiful.

"Go ahead and play with my hair."

Her eyes brightened again, making me smile.

"Really, Kiba?!"

I nodded, and I could feel her fingers go through my hair.

It was quite soothing, actually.

My eyes closed again.

_"If we could do this every day... I don't care what the hell I'd have to give up. I'll do it."_

Suddenly, though, Neko stopped and I could literally feel her lay down next to me.

Her eyes were closed now as she started rolling around in my jacket.

"It's _so_ warm and fuzzy… like a _gigantic_ hug!"

I stared at her with one eye open now.

"I swear… I lose brain cells just from being _near_ you, pussy cat."

Neko looked like she was about to fire an insult back at me, but I smirked as my left eye closed and I scooted closer to her.

"But… I don't mind."

* * *

Aww! I'm blushing just _writing_ this… but yeah… I think this is personally one of the best chapters yet, but not even _close_ for the chapters to come! Like, I'm not joking, in two or three chapters… things get more intense than they _ever_ have before. Rate/Review! :)

10/28/12: Okay! :D I think this chapter was pretty nice :) I like the way it was edited for the most part :) I wish I could get reviews... D:


	38. Advice and A Little Charm

_Flashback:_

_Suddenly, though, Neko stopped and I could literally feel her lay down next to me._

_Her eyes were closed now as she started rolling around in my jacket._

_"It's so warm and fuzzy… like a gigantic hug!"_

_I stared at her with one eye open now._

_"I swear… I lose brain cells just from being near you, pussy cat."_

_Neko looked like she was about to fire an insult back at me, but I smirked as my left eye closed and I scooted closer to her._

_"But… I don't mind."_

Chapter 38: Advice and A Little Charm

**Neko's POV**

I curled up in bed after spending my _entire_ day with Kiba.

After we had hung out at the park until the sun went down, which was about 5 hours, talking about anything and everything, and he had walked me home after taking me to dinner.

The twoof us had held hands, too, and when Shikamaru opened the door, Kiba had kissed me on the cheek and murmured "Sweet dreams, pussy cat." and he walked off really slowly, but not before turning back and smiling at me.

"_If anything, that was the LAST thing I expected him to do."_ My cheeks had turned into fire itself.

I would probably never wash it again.

Not only that, but he had let me have his jacket.

"Go ahead and keep it for awhile. I don't mind." He had said to me.

Of course, Shikamaru was confused as always, and I had avoided him and went upstairs.

When Shikamaru told Temari about it as I was heading upstairs, Temari burst into tears and ran into the bathroom again, but I didn't know why.

It was now ten o'clock, and I couldn't even remotely _begin_ to sleep with all of the emotions running through my head.

"_I miss him already… when he's talking to me like a normal person, he's funny and sometimes… he's nice." _

I blushed, and Talon jumped onto my bed, asking me what I was thinking about.

"Nothing… don't worry about it." I whispered.

Talon just growled and went back to her bed, and fell asleep within moments.

"I think… I'm falling in love all over again."

Thing is... I didn't think I was. I _knew_ I was.

If anything, I had never fallen out of love with him in the first place.

I closed my eyes and replayed every conversation we had had all day over again in my head before finally falling asleep, burying my face into the fur of his jacket.

**Kiba's POV**

I felt on top of the world.

All I wanted was to feel Neko in my arms again, even though I had held her all day.

_"I don't think I've had a better day in forever."_

My head was so light, I might have been floating as I walked, slowly, back to my house.

When I walked through the door, I tripped over the rug, but got up without missing a beat, although Hana was laughing at me.

"What happened?"

I looked at her, feeling nothing but a smile on my face.

"I just had the best day of my life with the one person I'd give my life to have. That's what happened."

Hana stared at me even more intensely.

"Oh, really? Well, you missed dinner. Do you want any…?"

I held up my hand. "No… I took her out to dinner, I'm not hungry."

Tsume walked out of the kitchen. "You've been gone all day… so what's up?"

I blushed again.

"I, uh... I was out with the girl of my dreams."

My mother just widened her eyes. "Well… did you… tell her…?"

I shook my head, hopelessly. I did try at one point, during dinner, but I lost my confidence when she smiled at me and I melted.

"I don't know how," I admitted.

Both my mom and Hana grabbed me by my jacket and threw me onto the couch. "Then… I guess you'll need some advice." Hana growled.

"Ok… well… we're friends again, and honestly I couldn't ask for _anything_ more. Just _talking_ to her again has made me happier than I've _ever_ been, but… I love her, and I don't know how to tell her. Maybe she'll hate me for it, and we'll never be able to talk again."

The thought of that made me glare at my feet, and I heard Akamaru come racing down the stairs and jump onto my head without a word.

Tsume sighed. "Well… either you come up with some clever way to admit it to her and/or blurt it out, or not say anything at all and she'll be gone."

I shivered, feeling hollow on the inside about either choice.

"I know. There's just so many things that I'm afraid of. I-I don't wanna lose her again."

Hana growled at me again. "Get a backbone, Kiba. It can't be _that_ hard to tell her how much you care about her."

_"It's not that easy,"_ I thought, angrilly. "I don't know _how_ to tell her, but I also don't know _what_ to tell her."

My mother scratched her chin for a moment.

"Maybe you should give her a gift, surprise her or something. Do something out of the ordinary."

Hana snapped her fingers, making a thinking face. "Or maybe you could write her a poem, or a song!"

I snorted. "I don't do poems _or_ songs. I can't sing, nor do I have good penmanship or grammar."

Hana just sighed now, looking defeated. "Just do something sweet. Girls like sweet things."

I creased my eyebrows; sweet... huh. It reminded me of what Temari had told me. But... since when did I know anything about being _sweet_?

"I just let her have my jacket... isn't that sweet?" I asked them.

Hana's mouth was agape.

"Really?!"

Nodding, I stared at my mom, who shook her head as she shrugged:

"It's not good enough. Just give it a couple days' time; thinking about it will help you, and probably her as well."

She got up and went to her room, turning out the lights as she left.

Hana sighed as she turned back to me.

"Yeah… don't go rushing into this kind of stuff. She was a nice girl; fuck up with her, and I'll break your neck, little brother."

Hana left as well, and I sat there thinking for a moment.

_"What do I do? There has to be a million possibilities. Honestly, what I'd like to do is just tell her, but it'd be nice if I did something else as well… I've got NOTHING though…"_

Subconsciously, I made my way up to my room, and Akamaru barked from the top of my head:

_"Do you know what you're gonna do for her?"_

I sighed. "Uh… no, not really."

Akamaru made a sigh-like sound and barked back at me:

_"Well… why don't you take her somewhere… like a picnic? Just the two of you?"_

I stopped at the top of the stairs as I blushed at the idea.

"Not half bad, buddy. But… it sounds like a date."

Akamaru growled at me now. _"W__ell… it WILL be after you TELL her how you FEEL!"_

"Right," I said, feeling almost full of energy. "What _do_ girls like, Akamaru? Maybe I'll get her a gift, too."

Akamaru thought about it for a while, and then barked back: _"Maybe something that they can wear, or…"_

I had been sitting in my bed for a record of three seconds when I jumped up suddenly.

"That's it!"

Akamaru was staring at me, confused, and I sighed, falling back onto my bed.

"Akamaru… it's perfect. I'll go jewelry shopping tomorrow."

All Akamaru did was sigh as he curled up and fell asleep on the corner of my bed, and I put my arms behind my head.

"_Neko… heh… I'll SHOW you how much I love you."_

**Neko's POV**

At six in the morning, I suddenly shot up in a cold sweat for no reason whatsoever.

_"It feels like I have something to do today… even though I know I don't…"_

Jumping out of bed, I grabbed Kiba's jacket and carried it downstairs with me as I put it on.

I made my way down the steps to find Temari lying on the floor, cleaning her fan.

"Whatcha doing up so early?" I asked her, tilting my head.

Her head shot up, as if she had been falling asleep.

"Nothing… nothing at all. I just couldn't sleep. How about you?"

I only shrugged. "I just woke up for no reason."

Temari nodded, and went back to cleaning her fan.

As I made my way into the kitchen, Talon caught up with me, meowing and asking me how I felt about Kiba at the moment.

I froze from getting a glass of water and dropped it onto the floor, making it break into a million tiny pieces.

"The hell was _that?!_"

I could hear Shikamaru's voice from upstairs, and I yelled back up: "Sorry… broke a glass. I'll clean it up."

I barely heard him growl groggily "What a drag…" as a door closed and the house was silent again.

Answering Talon's question, I whispered: "I guess… to be honest… I think I'm falling in love again."

Talon growled something along the lines of _"Sounds like you've got it rough; breaking glasses."_

I glared at her. "Oh, shut up."

Temari walked into the kitchen just as I bent down to start picking the shattered glass up.

"So… Whatcha gonna do today?" She asked me.

I looked up at her, feeling my cheeks flush as I thought of the _only_ thing I wanted to do today.

"I dunno. I was just going to probably hang out with Kiba if he wants to… but I don't know…"

Temari smirked and began to help me clean up the broken glass. "You two seem to be getting along. Do you have any feelings toward him?"

I felt a blush light up my cheeks immediately. _"How... does she...?"_

Before I could answer, Shikamaru came downstairs, answering for me.

"Temari, that's really none of your business. Don't be so troublesome."

He looked down at Talon, who was pawing at his feet, and he growled: "Hang on… I'll feed you in a little…"

I was in deep thought.

_"I wonder what these two would do in my situation… Advice always helps in the end..."_

"Hey… uh… Shika, Temari?"

The two looked at me attentively and I continued: "Uh… would you mind giving me a few helpful words of wisdom?"

Shikamaru took a seat in a vacant chair nearby. "Sure. Whatcha need?"

Temari seemed to have already caught onto what I was about to say. "Oh… _that_, huh?"

I felt myself blush faintly.

"Uh… let's say I like this guy, and I don't know if he likes me back or anything. What should I do to try and show him that I like him without telling him?"

The words tumbled out of my mouth in a way that confused me, but Temari seemed to even remotely know what I was talking about.

"Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?" She smirked.

I looked away, making Temari snicker, and Shikamaru sighed, sounding bored.

"All you have to do is care about him. Unlike you girls, we guys don't usually do the whole 'friendzoned' thing. We're not as complicated as you. So most likely, if whoever you're talking about says something to you that is somewhere in the category of him caring about you, he means it. Just look at his eyes and you'll see it."

Temari's eyebrow rose. "You sure know a lot about relationships, Shika."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's because I'm with _you,_ and you're so complicated, it's borderline ridiculous. Troublesome woman..."

Temari huffed and muttered to me as I finished cleaning up the last of the broken glass.

"So… if this 'guy' you like… is that all you feel for him? A little crush?"

Instantly, I shook my head, causing Shikamaru to nearly fall out of his chair.

"What?! Feelings. Now."

I tried to say it in the simplist way possible: "I think… I may be… falling for him."

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose higher than I'd ever seen them go. "Well, don't fall for him unless he's willing to catch you. Ok?"

I nodded.

_"That's what I'm trying to figure out."_

I hoped he wanted to catch me as much as I wanted to fall for him, honestly.

Talon meowed loudly at Shikamaru, telling him to feed her, and he growled finally: "Fine, Talon, calm yourself."

He began getting the cat food from one of the cabinets, as he asked the inevitable question: "Oh… and Neko… the guy you're talking about… who is it?"

Temari slapped him upside the head, making him almost drop all of the cat food.

"How have you not figured it out yet?! Dumbass!"

"I like… uh…"

I couldn't seem to even admit it; it felt odd coming off of my tongue.

Temari sighed, exasperated, as she finally answered for me: "It's the person who came to the door yesterday and practically hung around her all day! Kiba! Kiba Inuzuka!"

It was as if everything had connected in Shikamaru's eyes, and he sighed: "Oh…"

"Took you long enough, Shika." I smiled a little, and then I continued. "I… I dunno what he thinks of me anymore… Ever since the mission..."

Temari patted me on the back suddenly.

"Give him something to think _about_!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"No. Revealing. Clothing."

"Not that I'd wear it anyway, Shika." I reassured him, quickly.

Temari looked defeated.

"Well… show him that you care about him! Tell him things he likes to be told! Lots of physical contact! When people ask if you two are together, look at him! Don't look away!"

Shikamaru face-palmed and shook his head.

"Your idea of showing people you care is so… unorthodox, Temari. So unorthodox, in fact, that it's troublesome to keep track of all the things Neko would have to change about herself. Guys don't like it when you make really sudden changes about yourself, because they _should_ like you for who you are."

I was like a sponge: I took all of this new information in. "So… maybe if I wore… a _dress_… then he wouldn't like it?"

Shikamaru just scratched the back of his head.

"If it's an extremely vast change about you, then he won't like it. But… changing _some_ things about you, like maybe dressing nicely one day… he shouldn't mind that."

Temari's eyes widened. "Do we need to go…" She smiled widely suddenly. "Shopping?!"

Shikamaru face-palmed again, and I shook my head.

"No… no. In fact, I actually want to go upstairs and think over all the possibilities I could choose from. Then, _maybe,_ we'll be able to go shopping."

I ran upstairs, and as soon as I closed the door, I slid down it, rubbing the sleeves of his jacket against my face.

_"So… would he mind if I dressed nicely? Or would he want a different change, like me curling my hair? Or… both! Yeah, both, but… Temari would spaz out and make me get a dress that reveals too much… Shika would have a cow… scratch that, the entire farm… and Kiba would probably ask me why I'm doing all these things, which defeats the purpose, because I'll probably end up telling him."_

No matter how moronic it was, I had finally decided on a verdict as I climbed back into my bed.

I sighed and nuzzled his jacket again.

_"It's so warm..."_

I glanced at the clock that read "7:30" and fell back asleep, a lot more calm than I had been when I had woken up.

**Kiba's POV**

The moment I regained consciousness from sleep, I jumped out of bed, making Akamaru jump as well.

_"Ok. Today: shopping day. It's time I grew a pair."_

I ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower, went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, combed my hair to the point where the comb almost got _stuck_ in my hair, and changed my clothes.

_"No jacket today… heh, wonder why?"_

I smirked at that and went back to my checklist of things that I had to do to look good enough to go out and shop for something that could potentially change my life.

The whole act only took me about 30 minutes, and when I ran downstairs, Hana was making coffee.

"Oh… hello, Kiba. Where are _you_ going? It's only like, 10 in the morning." She took a long sip of her coffee and sighed.

I stared at her for a moment.

"Oh, uh, I'm gonna go shopping for something."

Hana turned around and walked over to the other counter.

"You got money? Because I can probably _guarantee_ that whatever you're shopping for won't be cheap. Here," she pulled out some Ryo from her pocket in her robe. "Take it, because I think I know where you're going."

Hana smirked, then walked into the living room to sit down.

I, with Akamaru by my side, raced out of my house and to the store.

_"__Ok… jewelry. Something that would suit her. Something she'll love."_

Akamaru looked up at me. _"So… what kind of jewelry are you going to get?"_

I glanced down at the small dog at my feet. "Probably… a necklace. Yeah."

We travelled to the store, and walked to the jewelry section as fast as we could.

There was only one other person there, and it was none other than _the_ Orange Hokage himself.

The moment I laid eyes on him, I was pretty pissed, but I suppressed that feeling and it was overwhelmed by surprise.

"Naruto?" I asked, not keeping the surprise out of my voice.

Naruto's head whipped up. "Huh?! Oh… hey, Kiba. Whatcha doing here?"

His blue eyes looked tired, and I could still see the bruise that I had inflicted him with only two nights before.

Smirking, I shrugged.

"I could ask you the same thing."

As I took in the scenery, Inoticed there was something in Naruto's hand.

"Who's it for?" I smirked again in satisfaction when I saw the idiot's cheeks turn pink.

"Oh… uh… Hinata… I thought she needed something nice, you know?"

I nodded, understanding. "So… how'd you two decide to get together?"

It seemed like Naruto hadn't seen that question coming.

"Well… ever since the kiss at the party at Ino's… I guess the feeling of it never went away. I took her out onto Ino's deck to talk to her, and she felt the same way. So… yeah."

I could only nod; it all made sense now.

_"__I'm glad she's found someone better than me. I could have never treated her the way that Naruto is going to treat her now. Though, I sure as hell hope it's better than the way he treated Neko..."_

My teeth ground together at the thought, but it went away as Naruto surveyed me.

"So… why are _you_ here?"

It was my turn to be embarrassed.

"Uh… I'm getting someone something."

Naruto just smirked at me, as if he knew. "Yeah… ok. See ya, then."

Naruto began to walk away, but he looked back at me for a moment before leaving.

"Tell Neko I said hey when you talk to her, ok?" With a wink, the blonde idiot was out of sight.

I was left seething in anger at my oh-so-readable emotions, and Akamaru barked up at me: _"So… do you see anything you like?"_

I then turned my attention to all of the necklaces in front of me.

My eyes finally rested on two necklaces; silver, and the one with a thin chain and was shaped like a circle said 'mine', whereas the one with the thick chain and shaped like a square said, 'yours'.

"It's perfect," I breathed as I picked it up to examine how perfect it was.

Akamaru, being the small dog he was, growled in frustration that he couldn't see, and I lifted the box down to him.

"You think she'll like it, boy?"

Akamaru whimpered: _"I think she'll cry when she sees it."_

My eyes widened. "Is it really _that_ bad?!"

I was answered with a sharp nip to the leg. _"Idiot. She'll cry of happiness."_

I couldn't stop staring at it; the small chained one was for her, and the one with the thicker chain was for me, if I got it, that is.

"It honestly _is_ perfect, Akamaru." I sighed, closing the velvet blue box that held the two necklaces.

"Just like her," I whispered to myself as Akamaru and I geared up to leave now.

We walked to the check-out line, and I could see Naruto standing there, looking at some… inappropriate magazines and drooling, while everyone who passed him gave him a disapproving look.

_"What a moron..."_

I walked up to him.

"Hey, idiot," I growled, getting his attention.

Naruto threw the magazine back onto the rack. "Hey! Kiba! So… did you find anything for Neko?"

I was about to silence him and tell him that it wasn't for Neko; I hated when Naruto knew exactly who my gift was for, especially if it was like this issue and he had taunted me about it in the past.

"Yeah, I did."

Naruto crossed his arms, trying to look official, but it's kind of hard to do that when you're wearing a flashy orange jumpsuit in the middle of a shopping center.

"Show me."

I opened the thick, blue velvety box in my hand and showed him as modestly as possible.

After a long moment, I watched Naruto's eyes light up in surprise. "You have good taste, dog. Not bad."

"Oh yeah? What'd you get for Hinata?" I wanted to see if that idiot had outdone me.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, and pulled a bracelet from his pocket.

It was gold colored, and it said "Peace" on it in really neat, flow-y handwriting.

I rubbed my chin. "Simple, yet charming. I'm sure she'll love it."

Akamaru and I were about to get into the checkout line, but Naruto asked me a question that made my heart stop:

"Hey… uh, are you and Neko going out?"

I went on defense... kinda... as I growled: "No. At least… not yet… I think. Just… don't tell her that I bought this for her. Ok?"

Naruto nodded, smirking. "You got it, dog."

The two of us went up to the checkout, and my money literally drained out of my pocket because the jewelry was _expensive_, and then I walked home, not being able to wait to see what Hana thought of my idea.

Akamaru was trotting beside me in a happy manner, and, frankly, it annoyed me.

"What's up, buddy? You seem unusually content today."

Akamaru just whimpered: _"I'm just happy for you. My master gets to confess his love! It's a joyful time."_

I rubbed my cheek, trying to wipe the blush off of my face. "Don't say that out loud. It only makes it seem… official."

Akamaru eyed me curiously. _"But… it IS official."_

The two of us made it back to our house, and the first person who saw us was Tsume, with Kuromaru standing beside her.

"What's that you've got in your hand?" She asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Uh… nothing, mom."

I tried to put it in my pocket, but she grabbed it out of my hand too fast.

I growled as she began to open it.

"Damn…"

Though, I turned my head back to her just in time to see her wipe her eyes.

"Kiba… it's beautiful."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Thanks."

At that moment, Hana had walked into the room, looking energized.

"Oh… hey Kiba. Back so soon? Mom, what's that?"

She looked over Tsume's shoulder, and when she saw what my mom was holding, she covered her mouth.

"I didn't know you had a _romantic_ side to you, little brother!"

I just snorted.

"Tch. It's nothing. I thought it was pretty… So, in this case, we'll be connected. I guess when I'm giving it to her, I can... ask her if she's mine and I'm hers... or something…"

Both Hana and Tsume looked at me, with their eyes widened.

"So… when are you going to stage this… thing?" Hana asked, looking genuinely curious.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I dunno… I'll go ask her if we can hang out tomorrow. A picnic sounds nice, doesn't it?"

Hana laughed at me. "So cute!"

Before the two of them could do anything else, I grabbed the box, ran all the way up the stairs, stashed it on my desk, and ran to Neko's house with Akamaru in tow.

**Neko's POV**

It was just after noon, and I narrowed my eyes against the glare of the sun.

Talon had slept underneath my chin, so the cat stretched and got up beside me.

I, groggily, got up to get into the shower and change my clothes.

Once that was finished, I ran into Shikamaru, who was dozing on the stairs.

"Idiot!" I hissed, feeling pain where I bumped my left knee when I half-fell after tripping.

Shikamaru was startled awake as he muttered: "Watch where you're going. Maybe then would you have avoided me."

As he fell back into sleep, Talon began scratching the door.

I went toward it; when Talon did that, it usually meant there was someone there.

I opened the door, and saw Kiba standing there without his jacket, of course, and Akamaru at his feet.

Talon meowed a greeting, and the two animals began circling each other.

"Hi," I breathed. Just _seeing_ him made my heart jump every time.

"Hey," Kiba murmured, looking almost embarrassed.

"I was just wondering… if, um, tomorrow, if you'd want to come to a picnic with me? Just the two of us?"

_Just. Us._

Those words alone made me almost shake in surprise. "Uh… s-sure, Kiba!" My voice wavered for a moment.

He smiled a flawless smile. "Great."

My eyes wandered to the cut on his neck again.

"When are you gonna tell me how you got that?"

Kiba just sighed and smiled very softly at me again.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. I'll come by and pick you up around noon, ok?"

I nodded, almost mesmerized by his blinding smile, and he scratched the back of his head. "See you then…"

"No, wait!"

My voice came out almost squeaky-like.

"Yeah?"

Kiba's eyes widened as he turned back around to face me.

"Here's your jacket!"

I walked over to where Shika had made me drop it when I had tripped coming down the stairs.

"Thanks, pussy cat..."

Kiba scratched his cheek as I handed him the jacket.

"No problem, Kiba."

He smiled for a moment, then he nearly literally _flew_ down the street, Akamaru racing after him.

Talon looked up at me with a confused face, and I couldn't do anything except stare back.

When I closed the door, I slid down it and muttered: "I can't believe it."

Kiba had just asked me out. I think.

Isn't that when two people go somewhere where no one else can interrupt them and have a good time together?

Isn't that a date?

Temari walked over to me as my thoughts washed over me.

"Shika? Do _you_ know what just happened?"

He was fast asleep, like normal.

Temari looked exasperated, but she had to do a double-take on my face; I could feel that it was frozen in shock.

"What's wrong? Who was at the door?" But as soon as the question was asked, she got a knowing smirk on her face. "Oh… what'd he want?"

I could barely get it out of my mouth.

"He wanted to have a picnic… just the two of us. He said he'd pick me up tomorrow around noon…"

Temari's eyes flew open. "A picnic?! How romantic!"

_Romantic._

The word sent shivers up my spine, and Temari continued:

"We _have_ to go shopping now! Bye, Shika! Neko has a _romantic_ date with Kiba that we _need_ to get ready for tomorrow!"

I murmured, still frozen as Temari dragged me out the door.

"It's… not a date…"

Talon followed the two of us, looking almost confused.

When we were halfway down the street, I could hear Shikamaru's confused voice from inside our house "What?" as Temari started rattling off places we were going to go to and shop for the 'perfect outfit'.

* * *

Hah, oh Shikamaru… well, be prepared for some MAJOR, um… well, it's supposed to be romantic! 'Nuff said. However, I HAVE noticed that I've been getting a bit short on reviews D: Yes, I read them. :( Rate/Review!

10/28/12: Yeah, that's right. Two chapters in one night. Come at me bro. Not too much was changed in this chapter :o Anyway, I rate/review. I want to hear my fans tell me how much they like this story... honestly, I'm a little bit discouraged. Ok? D:


	39. The Picnic By The Lake Part 1

_Flashback:_

_"He wanted to have a picnic… just the two of us. He said he'd pick me up tomorrow around noon…"_

_Temari's eyes flew open. "A picnic?! How romantic!"_

_Romantic._

_The word sent shivers up my spine, and Temari continued:_

_"We have to go shopping now! Bye, Shika! Neko has a romantic date with Kiba that we need to get ready for tomorrow!"_

_I murmured, still frozen as Temari dragged me out the door._

_"It's… not a date…"_

_Talon followed the two of us, looking almost confused._

_When we were halfway down the street, I could hear Shikamaru's confused voice from inside our house "What?" as Temari started rattling off places we were going to go to and shop for the 'perfect outfit'._

Chapter 39: The Picnic By The Lake (Part 1)

**Neko's POV**

It was only nine in the morning, and I had already showered and cleaned myself up multiple times.

Today was a special day, and I knew it.

Smiling, I remembered the outfit I had picked out:

Temari and I had both gone shopping the day before, and I had picked out a plain white dress.

It had lots of folds, including the neckline, and it was plain, yet beautiful. Strapless, sleeveless, and it glowed in the light.

_"I just hope Kiba likes it,"_ I thought.

Never before had I held him in such high regard when it came to how I looked.

As I got dressed, I grabbed the white bow that I had purchased to wear at Ino's party.

_"This would go perfectly with my dress!"_

I nearly squealed with excitement; honestly, I couldn't _wait_ to spend time with Kiba all day.

Pulling on the dress, I smiled when I looked myself in the mirror.

Even without my hair being done, I looked great.

Once I came out of my room, Temari looked up from the T.V.

"That dress is perfect for you!" She exclaimed, her face bright.

I couldn't help but blush.

What if Kiba said that to me?

Trying to steer away from those thoughts, I changed the subject:

"Can you… uh… curl my hair a bit on the ends?"

Temari smirked at me. "You came to the right woman!"

As the two of us journeyed to the bathroom, Shikamaru walked out of another room, holding his neck, but when he saw me, he smirked.

"Going on a date, huh?"

I frowned automatically.

All morning, I had been trying to tell myself that it was _not_ a date.

Kiba just wanted to spend time with me as friends.

There's nothing wrong with that... right?

"It's _not_ a date! It's the two of us having a casual picnic together, just the two of us."

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's called a date."

I only rolled my eyes, feeling them slit slightly.

Today, I didn't feel like arguing with anyone.

"Whatever."

Temari led me to the bathroom where she kept her famous hair straightener.

"So..." She began as I sat down. "Are you looking forward to spending today with him?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, of course! I mean, since when did we ever get along like this? It'll be fun!"

Temari rolled her eyes.

"Just be ready for anything that may happen."

I would have turned to look at her, even though I could see her reflection in the mirror, but she had already started on my hair.

_"What could she mean by that? Kiba's not... planning anything... is he?"_

As I stressed over the fact that Kiba and Temari could be planning my possible death, I sat patiently until Temari was finished.

After a _long_ time, Temari finally stepped away.

"You look great!"

Looking up into the mirror, I realized that Temari was right.

I felt like a princess; my hair was at the exact wavy consistency for it to be bouncy and pretty.

"Temari, you're so awesome!" I exclaimed as I jumped up to hug her, careful not to rip my dress or mess up my hair.

When we walked out and went downstairs, I glanced at the clock.

_"It's 11:30… I guess now all I have to do is wait,"_ I thought to myself as I balled up my fists nervously.

Talon entwined herself between my legs as I sat down on the stairs, waiting for Kiba.

**Kiba's POV**

Already nervous for the upcoming day, I had fallen asleep at one in the morning, but I woke up at 10. Two hours before I had to pick up Neko.

"Shit," I exclaimed as I jumped out of my bed.

Akamaru just whimpered: _"Where are you gonna get the food?"_

I glared at him.

"I'm working on it. I've got two hours, in fact; maybe Hana will be willing to lend a hand. I gotta get ready, or Neko won't even wanna be seen with me in public..."

Panicing for less than a moment, I rushed downstairs and saw Hana on the couch with her three dogs, watching some soap opera.

"Hana! Do you mind going out to buy a basket and some food for a picnic?!"

Normally, I'd never ask my sister to do anything like this for me last minute, but this was a desperate attempt to not be late on the most important day of my life so far.

Hana rolled over on the couch and smirked, seeming to know what was up with me.

"Just this once, Kiba, just this once."

She got up, went to her room, grabbed some money, and ran out the door. I've never seen her hurry like that.

Taking my time, I showered, longer than normal, took _over_ 5 minutes deciding on which shirt to wear, and I finally settled on a white one with a pocket at my left shoulder with the leaf insignia on it.

I tried combing my hair, but failed, and put on my 'special' cologne.

"_Shoeless… yeah, that'd look good with this outfit."_

Through my clouded vision, I glanced at the clock, and it read: 11:45.

_"Damn."_

I growled out loud, and Akamaru sniffed at me. _"Hana's back."_

The two of us rushed down the stairs, and Hana was back on the couch, fruits such as grapes, apples, marshmallows, cookies, chips… anything that fills ones mind when it comes to a picnic.

"Thanks, Hana! Sometimes, it's worth listening to you insult me… you sure know exactly what was going through my mind."

Hana just shrugged.

"I figured, and," she turned to me and smirked. "You look nice today. So… is this the day…?"

Nodding, I gulped: "Yeah… I just hope she wants to be with me as much as I want to be with her. I hope everything will come to me when I do it, because I think I have something planned."

She creased her eyebrows in confusion, and I smirked, continuing: "We're going to the lake for our picnic."

It was the most beautiful place I could think of. The view was amazing. Neko would love it. The only thing was... it'd take a while to walk there.

Hana's eyes became clear, free of any confusing emotions as soon as I revealed that.

"That's _easily_ the most romantic thing you've ever done, little brother."

Smiling, I grabbed the basket and almost walked out the door, but I dropped the basket when I realized what I was forgetting.

"Better not forget the necklaces!" I growled outloud.

After sprinting up the stairs and grabbing the box of necklaces and putting them into my shorts pockets, I grabbed the already-loaded picnic basket again.

"Bye, Hana! I'll tell you and mom how it went when I come back!"

She only nodded to acknowledge me.

"Yeah, I know, little brother."

I sprinted out the door now, not really giving two shits at the moment if I was sweaty when I got to Shik's place. I would never be late.

Akamaru raced beside me.

_"You're gonna be right on time, pal!"_

I snorted as I repeated my own thoughts.

"I'd never be late; it's too important."

**Neko's POV**

I waited patiently, talking with Talon, until suddenly, she jumped away and began to claw at the door.

Realizing what this meant, I went to the door and opened it up.

There he was, in my eyes, more attractive than I had ever seen him.

His eyes met mine as he asked:

"You ready, pussy ca…ah…ahhh…"

He slurred the last word as he took at my outfit.

My heart made a sickening thud against my chest.

_"Does he not like what I'm wearing?"_

The thought of that made me nearly soffocate in my skin, but I forced myself to ignore those thoughts.

As Kiba recovered from that moment, he smiled.

"Pussy cat… you… you look great."

I felt a smile light up my face.

"Thanks! As do you! C'mon, let's g-"

"No. Kiba… where are you two even going?"

I stopped when I heard Shikamaru's voice behind me.

Kiba looked up and the two of them met eyes. "We're going to the lake. It's the perfect place for a picnic."

I nodded, feeling my skin go cold at the thought of being near water again. "I agree."

Shikamaru gave both of us a hard stare, and sighed.

"Ah… I probably would have followed you both, but… it's too much of a drag to walk there. Have fun, I guess."

The door closed behind me as Talon and I stepped out.

Kiba took my hand.

"Heh. Don't you need shoes with that dress, pussy cat?"

I looked up at him, smirking.

"No. Actually, I feel better without shoes. In fact, even on my wedding day, I bet I won't wear shoes!"

Kiba smirked at me, but then smiled softly as his eyes met the ground and he murmured something under his breath.

Something I heard, but I thought I misheard him.

_"I HAD to have misheard him,"_ I thought, desperately.

I thought he had said: "And I'd let you," but it could have _easily_ been something else.

The two of us walked out of the front gates to Konoha, and one of the guys who guarded the gates, Kotetsu, smirked at us.

"Hey, where are you two going on a fine day like this?"

Kiba turned to him and laughed, a smirk on his face: "The lake. We're having a picnic."

His partner, Izumo, laughed back. "Well… have fun you two. Don't do anything you're gonna regret."

My cheeks heated up as I stuttered: "N-no! We-we're not gonna-!"

Kiba slapped his hand over my mouth playfully.

"Just keep walking, pussy cat."

I huffed as both Izumo and Kotetsu started to laugh as we walked away.

Kiba took his hand from my mouth when the two of them were out of sight.

"They're just trying to screw with us, pussy cat. Don't take things so literally."

I snorted.

"Keep talking, idiot. See what happens."

Honestly, I was surprised by the silence that greeted me.

_"Usually, he'd keep talking just to piss me off..."_

Glancing up at him, I could see his eyes trained on my face, but he wasn't staring at anything in particular.

Changing the subject, I asked: "How far is it?"

Kiba stared down at me.

"Heh… close enough, but not _too_ far for our little pussy cat to walk."

I slapped him, automatically, across the cheek.

"Don't be smart with me, idiot!"

I watched him frown as he muttered, avoiding eye contact with me: "It's not too far from here, actually."

Thinking I had upset him, I hugged his arm.

"Sorry."

He smirked down at me. "What, did you think I was _upset,_ pussy cat?"

I felt my face get red with embarrassment as I let go of his arm and backed a good distance away from him.

_"Why is he so mean?"_

"Well, _I'm_ sorry for actually _caring_ about your feelings, Kiba." My voice wavered for a moment, but I managed to keep control of it somehow.

We walked on in silence for a moment until he muttered:

"Sorry, pussy cat."

Kiba managed to walk next to me now, and his hand slipped into mine.

Trying not to show how much I was blushing, I smiled up at him mischievously.

"It's not the first time you've ever been mean. Don't worry about it."

He just huffed at me without saying anything else.

The two of us continued on until I stopped and turned around to face the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

"Aww," I cooed at the sight behind us.

Kiba had stopped when I did.

"What's up?"

I motioned for him to turn around to see our animals. "Look at them!"

Akamaru and Talon were walking side-by-side, their tails entwined, and their steps were matched.

I smiled when I saw Kiba's normally blank face soften into a smile.

"I'm glad they get along. Much unlike us, don't you think?"

Smiling, I shook my head. "No. I think we're getting along just fine, compared to two months ago."

Kiba shrugged, then smirked. "We'll see about that."

Almost instantaneously, a beautiful blue outline on the horizon appeared.

"It's beautiful…" I murmured, watching the sun glint off of its surface from afar.

Kiba tensed beside me. "Yeah, it is. I figured you'd want to come here."

I continued on, still in shock, from the beautiful sight in front of us. "I didn't know this place was even _here!_"

Kiba smiled at me, playfully. "You're so… so… how do I say this… ill-informed?"

I punched him in the arm, playfully as well. "Huh. And you're not too bad, either."

He looked at me questioningly. "And what do you mean by that, pussy cat?"

I froze, remembering what I had said it for. _"Dammit… didn't mean to say that! Ah, what do I say? I can't tell him that he's clueless to my feelings…"_

I was saved by Akamaru who pounced on my leg, his little tounge coming out of his mouth.

"I absolutely _love_ Akamaru! He's so cute!" I laughed a little bit.

Akamaru wagged his tail and barked something up at me.

"What'd he say?" I asked, nudging Kiba.

He was glaring down at Akamaru as he muttered: "He said he loves you, too. Says you're the nicest girl he's ever met."

I felt my smile from ear to ear. "Aww!"

Talon jumped onto Kiba's foot and meowed something about him being a mean person, and Kiba growled: "I'm not too fond of your cat, though."

I snorted. "She's not too fond of you either. She said that she thinks you're mean."

Kiba bent down and picked Talon up with his free arm, petting her and stroking her chin, making her purr.

"I'm not mean." He said, sounding almost absentminded.

I, without thinking about it, picked up Akamaru and put him on my head.

He barked happily and wagged his tail. I laughed as I got an idea:

"Kiba! Akamaru and I will race you and Talon!"

Akamaru, who had jumped off of my head at the last moment, began to sprint toward the lake with me as we took off.

"Ugh, that's not fair!" I heard Kiba growl, unhappily. "I don't want to crush the food, pussy cat!"

I paused. "Then I'll give you a ten second head start."

"Don't tempt me," he warned, sounding almost irritated, but he had a light ring to his voice.

I smirked, beginning to count: "One. Two. Three…"

But as soon as I got to three, Kiba disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I heard a voice laughing at me from ahead.

"I beat you, pussy cat!"

An angry blush crept up my cheeks. "When did he…?"

Akamaru just shrugged as the two of us made our way to the lake, where Kiba was sitting with Talon, waiting for us.

He was laughing: "You should have seen the look on your face!"

I slapped him again, feeling beaten.

"Now, look at the look on _your_ face!" I muttered as I grabbed Talon and began walking to the left toward a small, beautiful spot.

I hate losing. Especially to him.

_"He thinks he's so much better than me because he tricked me... psh. Whatever!"_

Soon, I heard footsteps padding up to me and Kiba's voice in my ear.

"I'm sorry, pussy cat," he murmured, and I turned to see the most earnest, apologetic look on his face that I had ever seen.

Also, I couldn't help but notice that there was a red mark next to the red triangles on his face.

"Did it hurt when I slapped you?" I gasped, feeling my hand fly up to my mouth in surprise.

Kiba smirked at me. "Heh, no. Since when do I ever show pain?"

I sighed, trying not to stare too long. "You're right. Your head is much too thick."

Waiting for the burn to sink in, I watched happily as Kiba's face went from triumphant to surprised and baffled.

"Tch, touché, bitch."

I let that one slide as I sat next to Akamaru with Talon on my lap and Kiba on my right side.

My nose picked up an amazing scent as I closed my eyes. "Your cologne smells great."

Kiba smirked at me.

"Heh… thanks. I only use it on special occasions."

I felt my breathing stop as I whispered: "It's a… special occasion?"

_"Since when does he care enough...?"_

He nodded, the corners of his mouth closing into a near-frown.

"Since when have I _ever_ been with you alone, willingly, like this? Yeah, it's a special occasion."

Akamaru suddenly barked at Kiba and he glared down at him with intensity.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, my eyebrows shooting up.

Kiba only muttered: "Nothing, he's just trying to piss me off."

I smiled up at him and shook my head.

"It's not hard to piss you off, Kiba."

He froze for a moment, just staring at me blankly.

"Yeah, I know." was all that he would finally say.

Talon jumped onto his lap and started meowing something that even I didn't quite understand.

She had said something along the lines of... she was proud of him.

_"Why...? Is everyone keeping some sort of secret from me?"_

I knew Kiba couldn't understand Talon, and he growled at her. "I do _not_ like your cat."

Akamaru barked at him sharply, and Kiba put his hands in front of his face. "Alright, alright! Calm down!"

After laughing for a moment, I stood up and began to survey the lake.

Truely, it was beautiful. I had never thought of water in any way other than annoying and... well... terrifying if there was a large quantity of it.

_"I wonder why Kiba would... take me here?"_

If there was something that I didn't get, it was that right there.

Why would Kiba take me here?

_"If he wanted to hang out with me... then... he would have just said so and we'd probably just take a walk or something..."_

Whatever Kiba wanted with me, it must be important.

That's when strong arms laced around my waist and pulled me onto the ground.

Akamaru and Talon were mewing and barking in a way that resembled laughter, and I felt my head vibrate as laughter emitted from Kiba's throat.

I soon found myself sitting in his lap, and his arms around me and his chin resting on the top of my head.

"_I can't believe he's holding me like this,"_ I felt nothing but a pure blush on my face.

"Kiba… can we eat now?" I murmured, feeling my eyes start to close. I hadn't felt this calm when I was with Naruto. Ever.

I felt him smirk. "What's the password?"

My eyes shot open as I tried to pull away.

"Ugh! You're _so_ childish!"

"You're _so_ eager!" He countered as his grip tightened on me.

"Kiba!"

"Pussy cat!" He mocked me, and I tried twisting and turning to get out of his grasp.

The cries of us and our animals echoed into the distance, but I didn't care.

There was nowhere else I would have liked to be at that moment.

* * *

Hah. How was _that_ for a part 1? Ok? Meh… part 2 = best part. :) Rate/Review!

11/4/12: Took another break from editting, but guess who? xD Yeah, that's right. Anyway, the next chapter is so epic, I bet I'll cry again while rewritting it. :) Rate/Review!

Hope you all had a good Halloween.

Also, on the 2nd of November, two days ago, was Hayate Gekko's birthday, our favorite proctor. :) *cough cough* :)

ALSO.

I finished this on 11/10/12. Umad? xD


	40. The Picnic By The Lake Part 2

_Flashback:_

_"Kiba… can we eat now?" I murmured, feeling my eyes start to close. I hadn't felt this calm when I was with Naruto. Ever._

_I felt him smirk. "What's the password?"_

_My eyes shot open as I tried to pull away._

_"Ugh! You're so childish!"_

_"You're so eager!" He countered as his grip tightened on me._

_"Kiba!"_

_"Pussy cat!" He mocked me, and I tried twisting and turning to get out of his grasp._

_The cries of us and our animals echoed into the distance, but I didn't care._

_There was nowhere else I would have liked to be at that moment._

Chapter 40: The Picnic By The Lake (Part 2)

**Neko's POV**

It was beginning to get dark, and the two of us and our animals had eaten all of the food by now.

Kiba and I had played multiple games, such as hide-and-seek and catch-me-if-you-can, all day and it never got tiring.

The sun shone beautifully against the lake's water, and I breathed:

"It's… it's beautiful."

Kiba stood beside me, our shoulders touching.

"Yeah. It is."

To me, Kiba looked pretty nervous. He'd been this way for a little while. It was as if he wanted to say something to me, but he couldn't, and that worried me.

Kiba would look at me for short periods of time, then look at Akamaru, then back to me, then smile.

If I asked him if anything was up, he'd shake his head and whisper: "No, everything's ok, Neko."

I couldn't help but look up at his neck, noticing the cut yet again.

"Are you going to tell me how you got that cut now?" I asked, giving him my huge eyes.

Kiba smiled down at me and whispered, shaking his head. "Heh. Later."

I couldn't keep a pout out of my voice: "But you said-"

He cut me off by grabbing my hand and rubbing it softly.

"It's still today, so I'll tell you. Don't worry."

Suddenly, Akamaru began barking at him, and Kiba's eyes widened.

"You're right..." He muttered.

"What...?" I started to say, but he ran into the bushes.

"I'll be back in a minute!" He called to me as he disappeared.

I couldn't do much but sigh; Kiba always _was_ running off at the most random times.

Talon rolled her eyes as Akamaru followed Kiba, and I murmured to her: "I wonder what he's up to now…"

**Kiba's POV**

I raced into the trees when Akamaru told me he needed to talk to me. I had instantly remembered the reason I was here with Neko, and I obliged to his wishes.

As soon as Akamaru and I stopped, he barked:

_"I think… it's time. Do you know what you're going to say?"_

I only sighed.

"No. I have… no idea. I just wanna hope that it all comes to me and I don't look like a complete idiot..."

Akamaru just sighed and wagged his tail.

_"Good luck! I hope she likes you, too. Here's a tip, though. After she says she's yours… give her the necklace. Better yet, put it on for her."_

"I know, boy. I'm not _that_ clueless." I sighed, exasperated.

"I just hope she loves me as much as I love her. If not… it can grow, right?"

Honestly, I had no idea what I'd do if Neko told me she didn't love me. I hadn't planned for that.

Akamaru just began walking away from me.

_"I can't wait to watch you screw it up... possibly the most important day in your life, and you didn't even plan out how you're gonna tell her..."_

Sighing and biting my lip, I watched my dog disappear behind some bushes.

Taking a deep breath, I mustered up my courage to follow.

_"It's now or never. I just have to tell her everything that I feel for her. Starting from the beginning."_

I made my way out of the forest, seeing Neko sitting down near the lake with her back to me.

Her feet were dangling off of the small cliff we were on.

The wind tickled her hair, making it wave gently.

My heartbeat sped up; if she didn't love me the same way I loved her, this could be the last time I'd look at her and feel as complete as I did right then.

"_She's so… beautiful. I could stare at her all day…"_ I thought, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks.

I felt myself take a step forward and soon I sat down beside her.

Neko looked up at me and smiled. "You _always_ run off, Kiba."

I breathed a soft "Sorry," before running through how I was going to structure this apology/...confession, I guess.

_"All I've gotta do is tell her how I feel. How I've always felt."_

Neko gave me a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. _"The sooner I get this over with… the faster I'll know."_

"I have to tell you something, pussy cat." I couldn't get over how desperate my voice became.

Neko's eyes got even more confused as she whispered: "Go ahead."

I took a deep breath, took her hand, and I began:

"I know that I haven't been the nicest person to you. Heh, in fact, most of the time that I've known you, I've hated you... Until that mission Shik, Naruto, you and I had to go on."

In my personal opinion, Neko still looked confused, as if she didn't know what the hell I was getting at.

_"She'll know soon enough..."_ Smiling, I continued:

"At first, I was irritated because I still didn't like you very much, but as the mission went on… I guess I got used to you. The way you looked at me sometimes still made me pretty angry, but other than that, I could actually _look_ at you without wanting to kill you."

Neko snorted at me.

"Well, that's great, Kiba."

Talon was flicking her tail as Neko's eyes slit in their familiarly annoying way, but I didn't find it annoying today. I found it cute.

"Heh, hold on, pussy cat. I'm not finished."

Gradually, Neko's eyes went back to normal as I continued my confession.

"Uh... when we lost Akamaru and Talon in that stupid rigged hotel or whatever... I wanted to do everything I could to find them... I didn't like to see you upset even back then, pussy cat."

Neko's eyes widened enough that the black pupil she had almost covered up the gray.

It made me smile a bit. That's when I had to get to the ugly part, though:

"Um, when... when I found the two of them in that room... and you were already upset enough... I didn't want to put you through that pain. And... and when you snapped at me after I spoke to you... I didn't blame you. In fact, I almost wanted to hold you."

I paused to take in her reaction:

Her mouth moved, but no words came out. I didn't know if that was a good sign or not.

_"What if she... doesn't like the fact that I care about her?"_

I forced myself to keep talking. This time, though, I knew I was going to blush.

"Later... when Ryu… when he blew up the hotel and I... I saw how much just _looking_ at him hurt you. It scared the hell out of me. But... I don't know what the hell it was, but it was that moment when I told myself that I was going to get you out of the hotel alive whether it killed me or not. I didn't care about myself. I only cared about you."

Yeah, I blushed. Though, I'm not sure it was anything _close_ to Neko's.

Her face was practically red from her forehead to her neck.

"Then... I remember when we had to jump out of the window. How much I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't get hurt. Then... when we hit the ground and... you flew out of my arms. I was scared that... that just I lost you and... and that you were dead."

Neko shook her head.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

She stared at me blankly, and I wanted to give my entire life to be able to hear what she was thinking.

I forced myself to keep talking again.

"After I found you, and... you looked like you were dead... I almost cried. That's how much just the _thought_ of it hurt. Losing you because I couldn't do one simple thing like Shik told me to. But… when you opened your eyes… I've _never_ been more relieved. Then... I realized, at that moment, that I cared about you. Even if it was just a little, I cared."

Neko smiled for a moment as Akamaru settled down closer to her than to me, and I paused to observe.

"...You really cared about me?" She suddenly whispered.

"Yeah." I matched her soft tone as my eyes met the sun beginning to set, making the sky turn a beautiful pink-ish red color. I continued:

"The day… the day you and Ryu... settled everything... when Naruto talked to you near that pond... it made-"

Neko cut me off in the middle of my sentence.

"You... you saw that?"

I nodded, and she shook her head, allowing me to keep confessing.

"It made me... I don't know what it was. But... I didn't want _him_ to be the one to comfort you. _I_ wanted to be the one to hold you that way. When he left after telling you pretty much everything that I wanted to tell you myself... you started to cry. I couldn't leave after watching you cry. I had to talk to you."

The wind cascaded through her hair, making her eyes a lot more attractive than I'd ever thought of them to be.

"And when… when I kissed you, I felt nothing other than happiness. I didn't want to be _anywhere_ except with you. I realized that I didn't just care about you; I liked you."

I watched Neko's cheeks flush, and I sighed:

"When you asked me to sleep in the same tent as you, I didn't know what to feel. I mean... not only did I finally admit that I had even liked you, but I wanted to know how fucking long I'd been holding in these feelings."

Neko nodded.

She didn't say anything, but I think I knew what she was about to say.

"That next morning, it was all a mistake; those flowers… they were for _you_, not Hinata. Naruto must have misunderstood me when I said I was going to give them to someone, and he must have automatically assumed that it was Hinata since… the two of us never really _were_ on good terms."

Neko's mouth opened for a moment.

"R-really?"

I looked away as I nodded.

I didn't want her to think I was such an idiot that I wouldn't even try to tell her.

Honestly, I had been way too scared to even face her.

"The moment I watched you cry, I wanted to kill myself. I didn't want to hurt you. I _never_ wanted to hurt you. It was at that moment… when I realized… something else."

"What?!" Neko looked eager as she stared up at me with large, wide eyes.

"I'll tell you in a moment." I smiled even more broadly when I watched her pout.

"When we got back to the village… I wasn't sick when I was in my house for a week. I was angry at myself. It was _hell_ just to _think_ of what _you_ were going through, since I lost you. I didn't know what to do. I didn't eat, I didn't talk, and all I did was think about you. When I actually _did_ sleep, it was always a nightmare. All I felt was a dull pain in my heart; a feeling of loss. It wouldn't go away."

I paused for a moment, and soldiered on, trying not to look at Neko:

"After that week, I decided that I was going to apologize to you. I wanted to make things right between us. But you wouldn't even… _look_ at me. Then… then, I found out you were with Naruto. My heart tore itself _apart_; it fucking _hurt_ to think that I was too late. All I wanted to do, again, was just die."

Neko rolled her eyes.

"You're so dramatic."

I felt my eyes get sharp with embarassment.

"I'm not being dramatic, pussy cat."

"Yeah right, dog boy."

Sucking it up and letting her win, I sighed.

"During that game of truth or dare… I was jealous of you and Naruto. So jealous, in fact, that I said I liked Hinata. In a way, at that moment, it was true. I did. But… it wasn't the same as liking you. Not even _close_. Although, through my kind of anger… I decided to ask Hinata out to take some of the pain away. For a brief moment, it worked, but it still wasn't the same."

"It wasn't?" Neko was staring up at me. Her eyes looked so clear... it made me almost lean in right then.

"No, it wasn't." I felt my heart to a somersault, a cartwheel, and everything in between as I felt my lips keep moving.

"Then, that day, you spoke to me for the first time since we swam together that one night. Your voice was the most… the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I missed it."

Watching Neko's ears turn red made me burst out into laughter as I paused.

"Shut up, dog boy!"

Neko back-handed me on the cheek, like normal, but I didn't find any conflict with that today.

"Then, it went through my mind that I had fucked up again with getting with Hinata, but it soon disappeared when I saw you and Naruto together. The only thing I ever felt anymore was jealousy. I guess that was what made me think he made me give the flowers to Hinata on purpose so he could have you."

Neko gasped.

"That's terrible!"

My gaze must have turned almost sympathetic, as her eyes changed to mimic what I was feeling.

"I was _so_ angry… _so_ pissed off… all I wanted was to see him die. That night, I was taking a walk, trying to calm myself, and I saw him heading somewhere… he was alone, and I didn't want to talk to him, but he came up to me. I punched him in the face without even thinking about it, and then I threw him, feeling nothing but anger. Then… then… you… before I could stab him and end his life… you jumped in front of him, and I stabbed you instead…"

I took a much needed deep breath as my eyes wandered to the spot where I had stabbed her.

The small, yet quite distinct scar stared back at me as I bit my lip.

Neko only rubbed my hand in return.

"It's okay, Kiba, I forgive you..."

I nodded to her, unable to get any words out.

Taking a short pause to regain my voice, I then continued:

"That... that was easily the most afraid I have _ever_ been in my life. I thought I had just fucking killed you. Naruto was nothing but pissed off with me. That's when Naruto made me stay with you in the hospital, accompanied by Talon, and… and it was hell. I waited for two hours to see you, and when I did, I felt nothing but anger and guilt. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Neko smiled softly.

"I know. It's okay, Kiba."

The only thing I could do was force myself into getting through this confession.

"I-I stayed with you all night... I kept myself sane by talking to you. And… when I said some things… your eyes would open, or you'd shiver, maybe mumble something back. You were answering me, and it made me feel a little better, knowing you were ok enough to do that."

Trying not to remember exactly what I had said to her, I took a deep breath.

"Then, the next time I saw you… I was kissing Hinata. I was pissed off that you had seen it, because I didn't want you to feel any more pain. At the party the next day… I saw you… and I wanted to run up to you and tell you how beautiful you looked."

I watched as Neko's cheeks turned red. "...R-really?"

I smiled, without answering this time.

"Everything was perfect, but then I watched Shino ask you to dance with him. I was automatically jealous, but I didn't show it. Then, I learned that you left because Naruto spilled punch all over your dress. All I could think of when I left to try and find you was how beautiful you looked anyway. I couldn't find you, so I assumed you just went somewhere to change or just back to your house… and I went back to mine."

Neko looked scared now.

"To... to be honest... I was talking to... to... someone."

My eyes must have gotten a million times sharper.

"Who?"

"...S-S...Sasuke Uchiha."

My mouth went agape for a moment.

"You're sure about that, pussy cat?"

Her eyes slit again.

"Don't test me, Kiba."

I sighed and watched Talon walk over to me, and that's when I realized what part I was coming up to in this confession.

"Four days after the party… that night… I was walking down the street, taking a walk, and I saw you. You looked upset, but you ran straight into me. You got up so fast, I couldn't even help you up, but when I saw… when I saw the tears on your face, as well as the bruise, I wanted to know what was wrong. It was my first priority. Even _if_ we barely talked anymore. I just wanted to know if you were ok."

I took a large gulp of air as I watched Neko's face become almost wounded with the memories.

"When... when you told me… that Naruto had hit you, all I wanted to do was kill the bastard. But… but you tried to stop me. You told me that he was probably just upset about something. I didn't give a damn, though, so I went to kick his ass. I wondered who the hell he was... to hit you and hurt you. I do remember knocking him out, though."

Neko's eyes got wide again.

"I told you not to."

"I'm sorry." I apologized, remembering how desperate her voice became when she told me to let him go.

"I stayed with you, at Shikamaru's place that night, watching that movie. Honestly, to me, it was _nothing_ compared to the thought of losing you. That's why I wasn't scared."

Neko's ears turned red again, and I couldn't help but laugh a little bit again.

I was rewarded with yet another slap on the face as I struggled to keep my laughter under control.

After I finally stopped, my heart kept jumping around. I knew how close I was to telling her.

"When I watched you hide behind the couch in fear… I wanted to protect you. When you faked being hurt… I wanted to protect you. When Shikamaru came through the door, us thinking it was someone trying to break in, all I could think of was protecting you. I would have done _anything_ to keep you safe."

Neko looked away, obviously hiding her blush, and I smiled, remembering the memories:

"You fell asleep on my shoulder at the park, and then, Shikamaru found us and I took you back to his house. I fell asleep next to your bed because I didn't want to leave. I was afraid… that Naruto would come back and hurt you. I left early, though, and I felt accomplished, because I _did_ protect you."

"Wait, so you were in my room?!" Neko's eyes were wide in fear.

"Yeah..." I whispered, feeling confusion creep into my voice.

"Oh, okay. Never... nevermind."

Her ears were starting to turn red again as I rubbed her hand again and started up:

"That day, I decided to break up with Hinata because I felt so fucking guilty that I was doing all this thinking about you and not her. After I did that… I went to your place. All I wanted to do was spend the rest of the day with you. You were asleep, so Shikamaru went upstairs to get you and I was left alone with Temari."

Neko snorted: "This could be good."

_"She has no idea..."_

"She asked me to prove that I liked you, since she already inferred that I did. That's how I got the cut on my neck: because I held a kunai there and told her that if I hurt you, _ever,_ then I'd do it. As soon as I said that… I did it. Temari asked me why, and I told her that the moment I _lost_ you, I hurt you. I should have made a _lot_ more marks, considering the time that we both really didn't like to even be in the same room as each other..."

I could see how embarrassed Neko was getting every second, and I smiled when her eyes slit as I chuckled for a moment.

I stopped when I realized that I was about to tell her that I loved her.

"Temari got me wraps to cover up the wound, because obviously it hurt like hell, but I told her that it was nothing to hide. Hiding that I cared about you from her would be the same thing as not caring at all."

Neko's eyes were now wide with surprise, and I kept going, feeling confident now:

"I hung out with you at the park because I wanted to be with you all the time. I felt like I needed to be by your side, always, and I still feel that way. Do you… do you want to know what I realized the moment that… that I lost you?"

Neko nodded, a confused expression on her face.

I murmured, feeling the wind blow through my hair:

"I… I realized that… that I loved you, Neko. I loved you so much, it fucking hurt... and... the best part is... is that I _still_ love you. And... and I always _will_ love you. And… I wanted to ask you… if you loved me, too, and if… if you'd be mine."

**Neko's POV**

As I watched his eyes change through different emotions right in front of me, I knew everything he was saying was undoubtedly true.

If anything, at the end of this, I expected him to tell me how sorry he was about the way he used to treat me.

Then… I heard him tell me that he loved me.

He even asked me a question that I almost didn't want to answer. Maybe it's because I didn't see it coming.

"_Of course I love him. I love him… and I've loved him since… since he… kissed me. But… we're not supposed to be together. Are we? I want us to be..."_

Kiba must have sensed my hesitation because he smiled, even with his eyebrows creased.

"It's ok, Neko. If you don't love me back, I'm fine with that. I can't force you to love me."

I shook my head. "No… Kiba… I… I _do_ love you, but I don't want to be with you."

_"I NEED to be with him."_

Almost happily, I watched his eyes go from almost-rejected to completely rejected in a heartbeat.

"That's fine, I didn't really expect-" He began to look away as he murmured this, sounding heartbroken.

I cut him off. "I don't want to be with you, Kiba… I _need_ to be with you."

Kiba's eyes flashed with uncertainty as his head snapped up and his eyes met mine.

"Are you… are you sure?" He whispered, his voice betraying disbelief.

I nodded, feeling my heart bursting with happiness. "Of course I'm sure."

His eyebrows knitted together. He still looked pretty confused. "So… does this mean… we're together?"

I smiled. "Yeah."

He still looked uncertain. "So… you're… mine?"

I nodded again, and Kiba's face lit up, instantly, in a way that I've never seen before.

"Then… I guess I'll give you this," he pulled a blue box out from his pocket, and, as I faced him, he leaned in really close to my face.

Before I could ask him what the hell he was doing, I felt something cold on my neck as he reached his arms around me.

Kiba smiled at me as his eyes lit up.

"So… do you like it?"

I didn't even know what the hell he just did, and I looked down to see a silver necklace with the word 'Mine' inscribed in its circle shape.

My heart made a sickening 'thump' in my chest.

"I… I love it." I smiled when Kiba's face lit up even more and he pulled something else out from the box and began putting another silver necklace around his neck.

I barely got this through my head when I saw what it said:

'Yours' in a nearly identical silver square shaped necklace.

"You're so sweet." My ears were turning red, I could feel it, and once Kiba got the necklace on, he squeezed my hand.

"But... you've always told me how mean I am."

I felt his face getting closer to mine as we sat there, staring at each other for awhile.

Before I could answer him, Akamaru jumped into my lap and began growling at Kiba.

At first, Kiba looked confused, but then he began to laugh.

"What'd he say?" I asked, my eyebrow cocking up.

Kiba stopped laughing as he murmured, a smile on his face:

"He's protecting you from me. He really loves you, Neko."

My cheeks were on fire as I began petting Akamaru, who settled down on my lap now.

"Well, I love him, too!"

Kiba's eyes suddenly got lovesick.

"Not as much as you love me, right? I mean..."

That's when his eyes shifted away.

"You... you _do_ love me, right?"

I laughed, wanting him to loosen up just a little bit.

"I don't know. You can't compare it because it's in different ways."

Akamaru barked up at me, and I asked again: "What'd he say?"

Kiba murmured, softly: "He says he wants to guard you, always."

I couldn't help but notice how his eyes had suddenly changed. I could _see_ how much he loved me now as I smiled, earnestly, his way.

"But… that's what _you're_ for."

Kiba seemed like he couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, so he's taking my job!"

Talon, suddenly, sat in Kiba's lap.

I heard a familiar sound, but it was surprising; Talon only purred when she was alone with me… she didn't even purr when Shikamaru was with her.

Kiba muttered, glaring down at the cat. "I'm still going to have to get used to her…"

Talon suddenly opened her green eyes again, and meowed lowly, but continued purring.

I couldn't help but giggle at what Talon had said.

"She said that she's trying to make an effort, and that you should try not to push it."

Kiba began petting her, and soon, he smiled. "Maybe all I have to do is pet her."

I shook my head. "No… it'll take a lot more than that, but since we'll be together a lot… it shouldn't be too hard to get to know each other."

Kiba just whispered: "Good."

The sun was three quarters of the way behind the trees, and Kiba stood up, Talon following him.

"Do you... do you think we should get going?"

Akamaru jumped off of my lap as I stood up, grabbing the basket.

"Sure…" but Kiba took it from me. "Heh, let me."

I was taken aback by Kiba's nearly blinding smile. "Oh… ok."

Without thinking about it, I turned away for a moment to get a last look at the sun, and when I did, I felt Kiba next to me on my right side.

I turned to him, wondering what he wanted, but he took my chin with his fingers and pulled me toward him.

His forehead pressed against mine and he whispered: "I love you… so much, Neko."

I could see it in his face.

On auto-pilot for the time being, I heard myself whisper back: "I love you so much, too, Kiba."

His lips crushed against mine in that very same way that I missed, and I closed my eyes, savoring the moment that I still felt that moment when he attempted to teach me how to swim.

I heard him drop the basket, and his arms wove around my body, pressing me against him.

After a moment, the two of us pulled away simultaneously and smiled at each other.

I laid my head against his collarbone and began purring, which made Kiba sigh.

Then, I began rubbing my head against his jaw and he let me, as if nothing else could make him feel this way.

Honestly, I almost smirked when I felt him almost getting weak to me, and his hold on me tightened as he murmured:

"Let's go back."

Kiba let go of me right then and picked up the basket.

Talon jumped onto my shoulder, whereas Akamaru jumped onto Kiba's head, and I hurried to catch up to him as he began to walk toward the village.

With his free hand, he held mine, and I couldn't help but lean into him.

_"This is the way I've wanted it all along. I can feel it. I can't imagine feeling this way with anyone else."_

Just watching him smile the way that he was made me want to kiss him all over again, but I restrained myself.

We walked back to the village in near-silence, and when we reached the gates, he murmured:

"I'll walk you home, if you're ok with that…?"

I nodded. "Of course, you're my boyfriend after all."

Satisfied with getting him to blush right then, I leaned my head onto his shoulder and we made our way through the empty streets that were bathed in pink with the setting sun.

Once we arrived at Shikamaru's house, he was sitting outside, staring at the ground.

"If you were gonna kiss me before you leave, you might wanna do it now." I whispered, gently.

Kiba kissed me, softly, on the cheek and whispered back: "Sweet dreams, Neko. I love you."

Feeling my heart's beat get a little more out of control at those three words, I kissed his red triangle back.

"I love you, too, Kiba."

He smiled as he led me up to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked up and his eyes widened. "How was your picnic?"

The two of us looked at each other. I didn't want to tell anyone how it went until Kiba was gone.

"It was great. Why are you… outside, Shika?"

Shikamaru sighed, looking exhausted. "Temari was being a drag and kicked me out of the house, saying something about me needing fresh air."

Kiba snorted. "Sounds tough, Shik."

Shikamaru sighed again. "No kidding."

After shaking Kiba's arm, I nodded to him, trying to tell him it was okay to leave.

Getting the message, he smiled very softly and began to walk away, Akamaru staring wistfully back at Talon and I as we walked into the house, along with Shika.

Once I had entered the house, I felt a blush engulf my entire face. Even my ears, and possibly even my hair.

Shikamaru noticed and asked me: "What's up with the blush?"

I whispered, almost unable to talk. "Get… get Temari. She'll want to hear this, too."

As soon as her name was requested, Temari walked into the room.

"Hey, Neko. How was that picnic? And," she glared at Shikamaru. "You're _supposed_ to be outside."

I ignored that, as my voice was merely a faint whisper.

"I'll tell you _both_ how it went…"

**Kiba's POV**

As soon as I watched Neko and Shikamaru walk into their house, I sprinted down the street all the way back to my own house.

When I got there, Hana was sitting on the porch, looking at the yard.

"Hana!" I panted, out of breath as I reached her.

Her head snapped up. "Kiba! How'd… how'd it go?!"

I smirked. "Let's go tell mom. She'll wanna know, too."

We both ran into the house, looking all over for Tsume, but we found her in the backyard, trying to teach Kuromaru a new trick or some unimportant shit that I didn't really care about at the moment.

"Mom!" Hana yelled. "Kiba's back, and he wants to tell us how the picnic went!"

Tsume automatically turned around.

"Kuromaru, that's enough for today… I think we _all_ need to know how this turned out."

As the three of us, plus all five dogs, ran into the living room, where I began to explain the day as quickly as possible, trying to leave little room for questions that interrupted me.

My only fear was... that they'd ask me something.

And if they did, I might just blush.

**Neko's POV**

Once I had finished telling Temari and Shikamaru about the whole day, I was gripping my necklace with happiness and I was scared that I'd have to pry my hand off of it.

Shikamaru's eyes were open wide. "Heh, well… what'd I say?"

Temari was crying, and she hit Shikamaru on the head.

"Shut up, idiot! I'm mad at you! Why can't _you_ be that sweet?!"

Shikamaru started: "Too-"

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ SAY IT'S TOO TROUBLESOME!" Temari screeched as she held onto me. "I'm so happy for you, honey!"

Talon had started up to my room, and I smiled, feeling better than I had in days.

"Well… I'm gonna go get some sleep, guys. Night."

The couple said goodnight to me and I ran upstairs to my room, where Talon was already asleep on my bed.

"Long day, huh?"

I giggled when Talon's tail flicked, telling me that she was still awake, and I shut up; there was almost _nothing_ worse than having Talon mad at me.

I fell onto my own bed, gripping my necklace.

_"So… I'm his, huh?"_

Just those words made me smile ear to ear, and I got up, changing into my normal clothing.

As I finally crawled into bed, turning out the lights, I couldn't help but think:

_"I never saw it coming. I thought he was just going to apologize or something, but… it was much more than that. That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen and heard… I hope we stay together for a long time."_

Carefully, I took my necklace off and put it on the desk next to my bed.

_"I wouldn't want him to love anyone else... I'm glad we're together."_

I closed my eyes and soon fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

**Kiba's POV**

Once I had finished up telling my sister and my mother exactly what I had told Neko and done, both of their faces were red, and each were holding a box of tissues.

"K-Kiba…" Tsume started, as she blew her nose. "I… I don't know what to say…"

Hana nodded, agreeing.

"It's amazing… _my_ little brother could be in love and as happy as he is now."

I only smirked. "Heh, well, I'll tell you, fear of rejection almost made me not do anything at all, but… it had to be done."

Suddenly, I stood up.

"I'm gonna go catch some sleep, and I'll probably be out with her again tomorrow, if you guys don't mind…"

They both shook their heads.

"You could be gone _forever_ with her and we wouldn't mind." Tsume muttered, still sounding choked up.

Akamaru jumped onto my head as we made our way up to my room, and I whispered:

"Boy, I didn't… I didn't know… it'd feel this great."

I touched my necklace, and Akamaru barked back, softly:

_"She's so nice. If you hurt her, I'll wring your neck, Kiba."_

All I could do was glare up at Akamaru. "I've seen too many people hurt her… I'm never going to again."

Akamaru jumped off of my head as I lied down on my bed. "I love her so much. I want to be with her… forever."

Akamaru sighed, and barked:

_"Good. I guess this means that I can bite you if I think you're gonna hurt her, right?"_

I only snorted feeling angry that Akamaru would even _suggest_ that I would hurt her.

"I'm _not_ gonna hurt her, so go ahead and bite me when you think I am."

Akamaru lay down on my chest as I grabbed my necklace again.

_"I hope the two of us can set aside our differences so we can ALWAYS be together. I don't give a shit what everyone else thinks. I love her."_

I closed my eyes for a moment as I took off my necklace and set it on the table next to my bed.

_"I'll put it back on in the morning."_

As I got ready to sleep, I heard Akamaru growl:

_"I hope you two stay together, too! Talon… is actually quite a catch."_

This made me burst into uncontrollable laughter, and Akamaru bit me after a moment.

_"Shut up."_

After that little incident, I fell onto my pillow, feeling only exuberance coming from my ego and love from my heart, as I drifted off into sleep.

_"I did it."_

* * *

Hah, YES. Cried while writing this one, no matter how pathetic that may seem. Anyway… yeah, it's gonna get a little intense in a bit… because there IS one more thing that they have to get through… Rate/Review! (SERIOUSLY!)

11/10/12: OHHHHH I LOVE THE WAY I EDITTED THIS! Anyway, it's cute, isn't it? :) I cried both times writing this thing. Rate/Review!

Oh, and tomorrow is... Jiraiya-sensei's birthday! I dunno about you guys, but I miss that Pervy Sage/Ero sennin... :(


	41. My Mom?

_Flashback:_

_After that little incident, I fell onto my pillow, feeling only exuberance coming from my ego and love from my heart, as I drifted off into sleep._

_"I did it."_

Chapter 41: My Mom?!

**Kiba's POV**

The first thing I did when I got up that morning was get dressed.

All I wanted to do was spend the rest of the day with her.

The rest of my life, even.

Akamaru only yawned and stared up at me.

_"Why the hell are you going over there so early? It's only around nine..."_

I could only shake my head.

"You don't understand! I can't wait to see her today!"

I was practically jumping up and down with joy as I put on my necklace carefully.

Neko was mine.

Starting today, she was, really, mine.

I wanted to show her off, maybe even brag a little.

_"Heh... Neko..."_

I couldn't even stop saying and thinking about her name.

What would it be like if we shared the same last name?

_"Too early..."_ is what I always tried to tell myself when I thought about it, but I couldn't help it.

After finally being completely ready, I raced down the stairs to see my mom in the kitchen.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?" She asked, an eyebrow cocked up.

"I _have_ to go see her!"

My voice was desprate. I had to see her again. Touch her. Smell her. Feel her next to me.

"Alright then."

My mom only went back to whatever she was making, but I couldn't have cared less because I was already out the door.

I barely even realized Akamaru was at my feet.

_"Geez... you're so eager to see her, aren't you?"_

"No shit," I growled, glaring at the dog next to me.

In what seemed like moments, I reached Shikamaru's doorstep.

After sitting there after watching the door stand there, in my way, blocking me from her, I felt cold relief when he finally came to the door.

"Damn, Kiba, it's too damn early for this..."

Nonetheless, though, he let me in.

I made my way over to the couch, restraining myself from walking up the damn stairs to wake her up.

I wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

"So, Kiba," Shikamaru was staring at me with tired eyes. "I see you and Neko are together."

He sat down on the couch next to me as I nodded, Akamaru sitting down next to my feet.

"Hell yeah."

"It's 'bout time." He smirked at me, but I could only nod again.

"Yeah, you're right."

**Neko's POV**

I shot up at some early time, and I felt nothing but happiness when the sun hit my face; I was going to get to see Kiba again today!

Without warning, I jumped up, taking an hour on a shower, clothes, and the like, and also taking an extra five moments admiring my new necklace as I put it on.

Talon awoke sometime within those five moments, and meowed at me.

The only thing she said was a question; asking me how much I wanted to go and see Kiba today.

"I'd die if I didn't get to see him today!"

Even though I was probably kinda stretching the truth there, I didn't care.

I wanted to see him.

As I hurried down the steps, I heard someone talking.

"...I couldn't wait to see her today."

_"What? Who is that talking?"_

It must have been too damn early in the morning for me not to know who was talking.

That's when I heard Shikamaru's voice:

"I'm sure she can't wait to see you, either."

That's when it finally hit me.

Kiba was here.

_"Already?! How-how...?"_

I must have made some sort of noise, because they paused for a moment before continuing:

"What are you two going to do today?"

I, quickly, got to a point on the stairs where I could see their faces.

Shikamaru was asking Kiba that question, looking confused.

Kiba smirked at him. That smirk that I used to hate... but I couldn't get enough of it now.

"Heh, I dunno. Depends on what she wants to do, honestly."

With that, I felt a blush engulf my face as Shikamaru continued:

"What if she wants to train with you?"

Kiba just sighed, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed way.

"Eh… if you're worried about me beating the shit out of her, don't sweat it; I'll let her win. In fact, I'll be her punching bag. I'm not even gonna _try_ to hit her."

Akamaru suddenly turned to the stairs, making my breath catch in my throat.

I couldn't help but sigh when he ran up to Talon and I on the stairs as he jumped into my lap.

Both of the boy's heads turned to face me, and I watched Kiba smile brightly.

"Hey, Neko."

The way he said it sent shivers up my spine.

I smiled back.

"Kiba…"

Talon jumped off of the stairs and jumped on Kiba's shoulder, purring and rubbing her head against his cheek.

Shikamaru laughed.

"I never thought I'd see the day… Temari, get the damn camera, woman…"

A pan came flying out of the kitchen, hitting Shikamaru in the head with a huge, obnoxious noise.

"_DAMN_, SHIKAMARU! YOU'RE _SUCH_ A SEXIST ASSHOLE!"

I winced at Temari's shriek; I _knew_ that when Temari called him Shikamaru and not Shika… he was in deep shit.

Kiba snorted. "Good luck, Shik. The two of us are leaving."

I'm not sure Shikamaru heard him; he looked to be out cold, as he didn't make a sound.

Temari came out with a camera after a moment.

"If you wanted the damn camera, you should have got it yourself, lazy ass…"

But when she saw the two of us with each other's animals, her demeanor completely changed.

"Aww! Ok, Shika, I forgive you!"

She began snapping pictures with her camera in flashes, and after five minutes and three different films, Kiba smirked at her.

"Don't make those pictures public; I will _not_ be seen with a cat, especially _this_ one, on my shoulder."

Talon hissed at him, but didn't do or say anything in particular.

Temari just smirked right back at him. "Can't be promised, dog."

Before Kiba could say anything else, she ran back into the kitchen.

"I have to get another film! Stay right where you are!"

I only smiled.

"C'mon, let's go! We could just walk around the town, you know. I don't mind."

Akamaru, who was in my arms, barked seemingly in agreement.

Kiba smiled at me. "Okay."

We walked out of the house, but not without seeing Shikamaru passed out on the ground as we left.

I laughed as we walked, aimlessly, down the nearly-clear streets.

"Okay… what do you-"

Without letting me finish, Kiba ran up to a man who was passing us and dragged me with him.

"Hey, man, guess what?!"

I had never seen him do anything like this, so I sat back, intent on finding out what was up.

"What?" The random man's eyebrow went up in question.

"See this girl right here?"

Kiba's face was bright as he stared this man down.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's mine."

My face was engulfed in an instant blood-red blush as I watched this man laugh.

"Congratulations, man."

I only nodded as the man looked at me as he walked away, and then I couldn't help but slap Kiba.

"Stop making me blush like that! I hate you!"

He frowned at me as he leaned in to kiss my forehead.

"I _know_ you love me."

"Sure, stupid dog." I muttered.

Kiba smiled at me as he began to pull me toward the park.

On the way there, the two of us saw Naruto and Hinata sitting together in a tree.

Naruto was smiling really widely and Hinata was blushing her normal blush, but it was different.

I couldn't help but whisper: "I'm so glad he found Hinata. He never used to smile at me the way he's smiling at her now."

Kiba looked down at me like I was insane for a moment, and he whispered back:

"Same with her… and same for me." His lips brushed my cheek for a moment, but he stopped and kept pulling me toward the park.

"Heh." I couldn't resist letting the small chuckle come out of my mouth.

We kept walking, and when we got there, there was absolutely no one there.

"Whatcha want to do, Kiba?" I asked him, feeling my eyes get sharp with curiosity.

Kiba looked at me for a moment.

"Honestly… I really don't know what we should do. That's why I was about to ask you…"

He trailed off in such a way that made me laugh.

"I have an idea… why don't we… go to your house? After all, I haven't met your mom yet, if that seems… kind of… awkward or something. But since your sister is so nice, I figured she got it from your mom."

**Kiba's POV**

"_My… mom? Shit… I… I dunno what my mom is gonna say about this!"_

I could only stare at Neko when she smiled up at me.

Maybe Tsume wouldn't mind, and only care about our love.

_"Very unlikely… she doesn't like cats. She saw one on the street, and left it with a broken paw… at the time, I think I laughed, but…"_

"I don't think it'd be a good idea to meet my mom just yet, Neko," I murmured, trying to steer her away from the possible danger.

_"She's gonna have to meet her SOMETIME. Not today."_

Neko smirked up at me. "I want to!"

It was too hard denying what she wanted, and I finally sighed.

"Fine. Don't be surprised by her reaction when she finds out who you are. She's not as nice as Hana is, that's for sure."

Neko only laughed at me, but didn't say anything else.

Once we reached my house, I stopped in front of the door.

"What are you waiting for, you moron? Open it!"

Neko was staring up at me with her teasing face, and it made me really nervous.

_"I hope my mom accepts her."_

I knocked on the door and opened it, only to find Tsume standing right there.

Staring us down.

* * *

One of the shortest chapters I've ever done… started pulling stuff out of my ass, but this is the LAST time I have to do that! Will Tsume be nice, or will she be… not so nice? xD Find out on the next chapter! Rate/Review! P.S: I'm sad that I made some of you cry last chapter D: Sorry!

11/12/12: I haven't been feeling very well... D: Sorry. Rate/Review!

Oh, I actually finished this on 11/20/12. You mad again? xD I also missed Rin's birthday :( Sorry Rin. (11/15/12)

AND Shizune?! Damn! Sorry Shizune! (11/18/12)

Please! Review!


	42. Not Always As They Seem

_Flashback:_

_"I hope my mom accepts her."_

_I knocked on the door and opened it, only to find Tsume standing right there._

_Staring us down._

Chapter 42: Not Always As They Seem

**Kiba's POV**

My mom stared at Neko and I.

To me, she looked quite normal, but then a look of rage engulfed her features in less than a moment.

_"Shit,"_ I thought, about to take evasive action and get Neko the hell out of there, but she smiled at us.

"Well… c'mon in! Kiba's told me lots about you."

I felt my jaw _drop_; what the _fuck_?

Is she on a medication or something that makes her out of character?! Since when did she ever act so polite to anyone?

After staring at Neko's happy face, I sighed and led her, slowly and clumsily, into my house, to find Kuromaru growling at Talon, who had just jumped off of my shoulder.

Being the badass cat that she is, Talon only had to growl and Kuromaru backed off instantly, staying close but not too close.

"That's what I thought," Talon seemed to almost say as she walked back up to me quite daintily.

My mom was now sitting on the purple couch, where Kuromaru sat next to her.

Neko took a place on the other couch, and I sat myself next to her.

_"I don't think I've been so nervous since yesterday..."_

"So," Tsume started, looking at me with a smile on her face. "This is the girl you've been going on non-stop about, huh?"

While trying to fight the suspicion that flooded over me, I felt a blush overwhelm my face as I nodded, and Neko took my hand in hers.

I looked down at her and squeezed her hand harder, trying not to show how afraid I was.

Tsume, watching us, sighed. "Kiba… I'd like to get to know her a little better."

Her eyes shot to Neko, making her flinch for a moment. "What is your name?"

Neko smiled, looking as if she was trying to be quite polite, but she did look visibly scared.

"I'm Neko Inari."

I thought I saw something in my mom's eyes, but it went away as she smiled back at the love of my life.

"That's a nice name. Well… I'm Tsume Inuzuka, but you can just call me Tsume, I guess."

Honestly, I was taken aback, and I was sure Akamaru was as well; the poor dog was looking back and forth from my mom and I.

_"I've never seen my mom act so nice to ANYONE… not even Hana or I…"_

Neko smiled and nodded at her politely.

At that moment, I just knew I had to get out of the house, but I didn't want to leave my mom alone with her.

_"What the hell do I do? I don't want anyone to be alone with her... but..."_

My lip had begun to bleed a little bit from me biting it so hard.

"Kiba... come here for a moment."

My mom was speaking to me, so I got up and followed her to the kitchen.

I couldn't help but look back at Neko, who was staring back at me with fear in her eyes.

"I'll be right back." I promised her, and she smiled at me and nodded. "Okay."

As soon as I hurried into the kitchen, my mom was staring me down.

"She seems nice. Why don't you go to the store and get her something?"

"But, mom, I-"

"You want to be sweet to her, right? Plus, it'll be easier to get to know her if we can have a little girl-to-girl talk, huh?"

I couldn't deny her.

_"I don't want to leave her..."_

Not to be super attached or anything, but not being around her... it made me nervous.

"Okay. What do you think I should get her?"

She stared at me.

"Something she'd like... like a jacket that looks like yours!"

I snapped my fingers. "You're right. Thanks a bunch, mom."

Grabbing some money on the counter, I walked back out of the kitchen to see Neko nervously petting Talon.

I walked toward her and knelt down to whisper in her ear.

"I'm gonna go get something for you. It's a surprise, and I'll be back in a little. You and my mom can have a heart-to-heart talk while I'm gone."

She looked at me for only a moment, then her eyes shot to my mom as she came out of the kitchen as well.

"Okay," Neko finally murmured back.

Akamaru barked at me, surprised: _"We're going somewhere?"_

I nodded, then turned to Tsume. "Mom, have fun with Neko. I gotta run to the store for a moment."

Trying to make it seem like I had come up with this one on my own, I winked at her.

Tsume stared at me, blankly, for a moment, and when she caught on, she smirked.

"You're leaving? Well, I suppose Neko and I can get to know each other a lot better while you're gone."

She smiled at Neko, again, leaving me almost scared, but I sighed.

"You two do that. I'll be back in like... twenty minutes."

I kissed Neko on the cheek, carefully, and I walked out the door, Akamaru by my side.

_"Yeah… I WAS thinking about getting her a jacket like mine. That way, she'll stop asking me if she can have it."_

Then, as I started kicking a stray pebble on the ground on my way to the store, I thought about my mom and Neko, and I wondered how they would get along.

_"What if... no. She'd never hate Neko the way I did. Even then, it'd get better over time. Why am I so worried?"_

I laughed to myself for a moment, and then looked down at Akamaru.

"Buddy, I think… I think my mom and Neko are gonna get along just fine."

All Akamaru did was sigh, and, to me, that meant that he wasn't so sure.

**Neko's POV**

As soon as Kiba left, I sensed a change in the atmosphere.

It was as if something had suddenly made Tsume unexplainably angry as she growled at me: "You stupid cat… did you _really_ think I'd accept _you?!_"

I only felt surprise; she had seemed so nice only moments ago.

"But… what did I do?"

Those were the only words that would come out of my mouth, and as soon as I said them, Tsume had jumped on me and pulled me to the ground.

"You didn't have to do _anything_; you just had to be born, and my son had to fall in love with _you._ He had that Hyuga girl in his _hands,_ yet he picks a _cat?_ What the hell possessed him to think such a thing?!"

I sucked in air as Tsume's hands curled around my neck, just as Kiba's used to back when we absolutely couldn't stand each other, but this time, I couldn't explain it.

It was much more aggressive than the way Kiba's hands coiled around my throat.

Honestly, I couldn't even answer to her, it was so tight.

Talon, knowing exactly what was best, stayed out of it and backed into the corner, but Tsume's dog approached her, growling and snarling.

"_Talon can hold her ground… she's strong enough,"_ I thought, desperately, but those courageous words were only proved wrong as the dog grabbed poor Talon by the scruff of her neck.

As much as I tried to speak, all that would come out of my mouth was a squeak.

Tsume laughed at me.

"Heh, your stupid cat is almost as stubborn as you are. I can't believe my son would go through everything he did… for _you._ Your kind doesn't deserve a _thing_."

All I could do was stare as the hold on my neck became unbearable, and just as the darkness was beginning to gather in the corners of my eyes, Tsume let go.

Only seconds were spared as I took a deep breath, but Tsume grabbed me by my shirt.

"What the hell does he see in _you_, anyway?!"

In half of a a second, I was practically hurled halfway across the room.

On impact, I hit my temple on the side of a table, making a thin stream of blood pour down my face.

_"I-I can't... I can't fight back..."_

I felt bruises all over my body already, and, to make matters worse, the dog was approaching me, having lost interest in Talon.

_"I have to try..."_

Using all of my strength, I tried my best to protect myself, but I knew I would fail.

Tsume, noticing this, laughed at me again. Her laugh made my stomach knot together.

"You can't even get up to _defend_ yourself! You're not even strong! What exactly attracts him to you, huh?! Did you seduce him?"

"No!" I cried. Anything but that.

The huge dog was edging closer and closer to me.

"Kuromaru! I got this…"

Tsume smiled evilly, and lifted me off of the ground by my shirt again.

Talon came racing over to my rescue almost immediately, and even though I tried to shake my head, Talon had already jumped onto Tsume's head, only to be brutally bushed off.

Tsume laughed again after looking at me for a moment.

"You're not even _pretty_! An eyesore, if you ask me… honestly, that Hyuga was at _least _ten times better than you are…"

She took a moment to observe me a little more, hitting me on the shoulder a couple of times, making me flinch.

"And… you bruise so easily. And bleed… but in _my _case, that means the easier I can kill you."

_"Kill me?!"_ My eyes shot wide open as I tried to move, but I knew I couldn't.

"B…but…"

I could barely even speak out of the pain I was experiencing at that moment, both physically and emotionally. There was only one thing I could think of that might make her back off:

"I… I'll… I'll tell Kiba. I'll tell him you did this… and he'll… he'll hate you…"

Tsume smirked broadly at me, and that was when I knew that whatever I said... no matter what... I wouldn't be able to get away.

"That's all great, but if you tell him, I'll kill you."

I took in a breath; was there no beating her? Even word-wise… I couldn't seem to get an edge.

Tsume put up her hand to hit me, and I couldn't help but flinch, ready to feel the pain that would be inflicted on me, but there was none.

"Hah," I heard a hearty laugh escape from Tsume's lips. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Full of fear, worthless, probably stupid, irritating to look at… who knew Kiba had such horrible taste in women?"

I felt only sudden pain as Tsume now grabbed my arm and pushed me into the kitchen, where I hit my arm on one of the counters.

_"The only way to get away… is to run. There's no other way. I can't… I can't do it. She'll probably kill me ANYWAY if I stay…"_

In a desperate attempt, I dashed forward, almost feeling my legs crumple beneath me, and ran out the door.

I could still hear Tsume's laugh echo behind me: "Run all you want; you'll still be worthless!"

Now that I was outside, I could actually take a moment to think about everything that had been said.

_Worthless. _

Was I really like that?

_"She… she said… that everyone was better than me. She told me I was worthless."_

All of Tsume's insults ricocheted in my head, and I couldn't stop thinking about how some other girl would _never_ have to deal with this kind of thing from the mother of the man that she loved so dearly.

Talon nearly skidded into the back of my leg and looked up at me, unhurt but shaken, and meowed something on the lines of 'what are you going to do about this?'

I stared down at her and whispered, feeling numb in all parts of my body: "I don't know," my raspy voice escaped from my lips, sounding scared.

Tears gathered into my eyes as I allowed myself to talk to Talon.

"She called me worthless, Talon. I've thought that about myself… for as long as I can remember. All of those lonely nights. Countless… countless lonely nights, all by myself… wondering whether I was actually supposed to be alive. I thought that if I killed myself now… then I wouldn't have to sit there, alone, anymore. But… I never did, because when I actually thought about it, I met you. Then, years later, we came here. Now, I'm not so alone. But… for that word to be spat back at me again… it hurts."

My voice cracked on the last word as a sole tear slithered down my cheek, but I soon ran into a certain someone as I wasn't watching where I was going.

I fell and crashed onto my bottom as I ran right into him.

Kiba was staring down at me with a somewhat happy expression.

"You got tired of waiting for me?" He asked, looking like he was about to laugh.

I couldn't even get any words out of my mouth; it hurt to talk. Especially knowing that if I even uttered a word about what Tsume had done to me... she'd kill me.

Kiba looked at me for a moment, and as his eyes met my nasty head wound, they widened.

"What happened?" He demanded, his eyes sharpening instantly.

I gave him a blank look, and I felt the side of my head, only to find my fingers drenched in blood.

I tried to make something up. Something totally believable.

"Uh… I tripped into a table and landed in all of the wrong places, but I'm fine…"

Kiba snorted, making my heart jump.

_"Does he... know?"_

"As if. Neko, you're gonna have to be more careful, or I'm not gonna want to leave you alone."

As he spoke to me, I noticed that he had something in his hand, but he managed to pick me up in his arms.

"C'mon; my mom is probably wondering where you ran off to."

_"No," _I thought, desperately. _"Don't make me go back there… please don't make me go back there…"_

Though, Kiba must not have sensed my eagerness to get away as we walked into his house.

Once we walked in, with me in his arms, the house was _spotless_; as if nothing had happened only a few minutes before.

Tsume wasn't even in the room, and I could almost sigh with relief.

Kiba walked into the bathroom and came back with a small roll of bandages.

"Here, I'll put these on. Honestly… you need to watch where you're going, or you're gonna get hurt, baby."

Despite everything that had happened that day, I couldn't help but blush when he called me what he did, and I whispered:

"You're right, sorry."

**Kiba's POV**

From the moment that she ran into me, I could _tell_ that there was something off about her.

Akamaru had sensed it in Talon, too, because he kept trying to walk or sit next to her, but she kept moving away or flicking her tail.

I took my hand off of the bag I was holding; the jacket I got Neko was black with fur resembling mine, and I was sure she'd love it.

"Neko," I cooed, and I looked at me, confusion in her eyes.

"Hmm?"

I laughed for a moment as I smiled softly and held the bag out to her. "Here. It's yours."

She took the bag from me and began to hold the jacket up to her.

"I love it," she stated. No jumping around or hugging me and showering me with kisses... it was almost as if she couldn't care less.

My eyebrows creased.

_"I wonder… did she get hurt when she tripped? And... is she too proud to tell me?"_

"Are you ok?" I asked, and her eyes flew up to mine, then she looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I was about to take her hand, but Tsume walked in.

Her eyes immediately flew to Neko, and she asked: "What happened to her?"

I watched as Neko's eyes widened in what looked like disbelief, and then she looked away again.

"She tripped over a table or something," I sighed, and Neko nodded absentmindedly.

Tsume sighed, her eyebrows creasing as well.

"She should be more careful, or she'll actually get hurt and have to go to the hospital."

With that, my mom disappeared to the kitchen, and I couldn't help but watch as Neko's eyes turned to slits as she watched her go.

_"Huh…"_ was my only thought as I asked her: "Hey… do you wanna get out of here and take a walk?"

Neko looked up at me, her eyes turning back to normal, and she nodded silently.

Akamaru jumped onto her, and she pet him as she stood up, looking shaky and awkward, but she regained her balance in moments.

I took her hand and put her new jacket on the couch behind me. "Yeah… let's go."

She nodded, and Talon jumped onto her shoulder, looking unusually subdued.

We walked out of my house, and as we both stepped off of the porch, I noticed Neko stumble for a moment, but she regained her balance again.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked, feeling nothing but worry, but she shook her head and looked away from me.

"I'm fine. Where are we going?" She changed the subject very quickly, but that only made me even more worried.

I sighed. "Uh… I guess we could go to the park…?"

But Neko nodded quickly. "Yeah, let's go."

Neko started ahead of me, and I stared after her.

_"She seems eager to get away from here…"_

Akamaru was walking beside me, and he barked up at me. _"Something seems wrong, doesn't it?"_

I nodded as I followed her at a quick pace, and Akamaru barked again:

_"There's NO way she could have tripped over a TABLE. Look at her; she has bruises EVERYWHERE, not to mention her head is busted open. You can't get that many bruises and injuries from just falling into a table, don't you think?"_

I stared at Neko's back; now that I thought about it, Akamaru was right.

There were bruises all _over _her; on both legs, both arms, even one on her neck.

I hurried to walk beside her, but before I could get there fast enough, I noticed her sudden hesitation before each step with her right leg.

_"Is she… limping?"_ I asked myself as I finally walked beside her.

"Neko… what _really_ happened to you? It's ok. You can tell me." My voice was quiet.

Neko's eyes shot to me, and I immediately noticed pain in them.

She didn't answer me, and I asked: "Did Kuromaru bite you? Because if he did…"

Neko only shook her head.

"Well… did someone hurt you?"

I felt myself starting to get a little impatient. I mean, Neko... it's not like her to not tell me when she got hurt. Especially why and how.

As I asked her, her eyes immediately filled with fear and I growled: "Who was it?! Naruto?"

If it was that prick... there'd be no telling what the hell I'd do.

She shook her head simply.

"Then, who the hell was it?! My mom?!" I growled, trying to get her to open up, but instantly my breath caught in my throat as I watched tears fill her eyes.

"Was it… my _mom_?!" I asked again as my voice became hard with anger and I felt my eyebrows creasing.

Neko's eyes were open wide, as if she was scared, and a single tear slid down her cheek.

"She... called me worthless..."

I felt nothing but hatred as I bore my teeth and made a U-turn back to my house, numb with hate and fury.

There was no way in hell my own mother would hurt Neko.

Not without getting retaliation, at least.

* * *

I told you it'd get intense D: Sorry it took forever to write… I was at the movies! Saw Men in Black 3… it was good. :P Anyway, Rate/Review!

11/21/12: Oh yeah. I like changing the names of chapters :(

Back when I was first writing this, lots of people expressed their concerns about Tsume's OOC behavior.

Keep reading and you'll find out why its OOC. Sorry for any offense this may have caused. :(

Also, I finished this on 11/25/12. :( Getting a bit behind, huh?

ALSO: 11/25/12 is Izumo's birthday! :D Happy birthday, bro! xD

ALSO: 11/25/12 is Sai's birthday! Happy birthday, yet another bro! xD

Rate/Review!


	43. Problem Solved

_Flashback:_

_"Then, who the hell was it?! My mom?!" I growled, trying to get her to open up, but instantly my breath caught in my throat as I watched tears fill her eyes._

_"Was it… my mom?!" I asked again as my voice became hard with anger and I felt my eyebrows creasing._

_Neko's eyes were open wide, as if she was scared, and a single tear slid down her cheek._

_"She... called me worthless..."_

_I felt nothing but hatred as I bore my teeth and made a U-turn back to my house, numb with hate and fury._

_There was no way in hell my own mother would hurt Neko._

_Not without getting retaliation, at least._

Chapter 43: Problem Solved

**Kiba's POV**

Akamaru was on my heels as I sprinted toward my house. I felt nothing but pure hatred for my mother.

_"Why the hell would she do something like that?! She seemed content… and I thought I could trust her with Neko, the love of my life… but to fucking hurt her…"_

I felt my teeth grind together, and before I could think of any more reasons to kill her, Neko was standing in front of me, holding her arms out, blocking me from going any further.

_"No matter if she's hurt or not… she always WAS faster than me."_

She was staring at me with Talon on her shoulder, looking almost angry. "Kiba… don't do it. It's okay."

That statement made me almost combust with fury as I heard my own voice explode from my mouth:

"Why the hell didn't you just fucking tell me?! How could you hide something like this from me?!"

She looked away from me now, her eyes unreadable, and then she turned back to me.

Her eyes were stronger now, yet I could feel her pain. "She told me… if I told you _anything_, then she'd kill me."

My eyes widened, and I felt numb as I began to shake; my own mother… threatened to _kill_ the one I've always loved?!

_"Hell no, it's not going to happen."_

"What the hell else did she say to you?" I couldn't keep the growl inside. I'm tired of people hurting her.

Neko was looking up at me, and suddenly, her eyes filled with more tears.

"She… she called me… stupid, and ugly and weak... and... worthless."

The more she seemed to go on, the more unstable I could feel myself becoming.

At worthless, though, that made my heart made a sickening thump in my chest.

"Wh-what? She called you... worthless?!" My voice seemed to get sharper as I stared at her.

Talon flicked her tail at me as Neko took a deep breath and bit her lip, obviously trying not to cry.

"It hurt me... I wanted... wanted to just... die..."

The more she kept telling me, the more I wanted to kill something.

_"How DARE she even remotely speak to her that way?!"_

Not being able to take any more, I made my way around Neko.

"I'll give her a piece of my fucking mind," I growled menacingly, feeling my hatred nearly consume me.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

When Naruto hurt Neko, I wanted to kill him, but when my own mother hated her so much she tried to kill her... that was it.

Neko's small hand curled into mine as I passed her, making me pause for a moment.

"Kiba… don't. Please…"

She was begging me not to do anything, and I think I knew exactly why;

Neko didn't want to see me hurt anyone. It was just like the issue with Naruto. How she told me to let him go when I was moments from making sure he never got up again.

"Neko, you don't understand. She _threatened_ you. She _hurt_ you, both emotionally and physically… I don't care if she's my mom or not… _no one_ talks to you like that."

For a moment, Neko's gray eyes just stared into mine, blankly, and then she drew her hand away faster than anything I've ever seen.

After that, I watched her begin to cry, and she buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking so violently that Talon jumped onto the ground.

"D-don't… she might… she might hurt you, too…"

I wasn't interested at the thought of myself at the moment.

"I don't care. Neko… she might hurt _you_, and you mean _everything_ to me." My voice was hard and heartless. I couldn't help it.

"But _you_ mean everything to _me_, too!" Neko cried, her voice suddenly rising as she spoke to me.

I felt my eyes widen as my eyebrows knitted themselves together.

Neko continued:

"I… I don't want her to hurt you, too… It hurts just _thinking_ about you being hurt by _anyone; _it _always_ has! Remember the day… when Shika and N…Naruto… they were beating you up… because you yelled at me and pushed me. I didn't _care_ about you yelling at me. I didn't want you to get hurt, and that's why I stopped Shika from hitting you in the face!"

Neko began to cry again, and I took her hands from her face.

I brushed her face with my hand.

"Okay. It's okay. Neko… if you really don't want me to get hurt… then I won't do anything."

Her lip quivered for a moment, and I wiped away more tears that spilled from her beautiful gray eyes.

I leaned down to kiss her for a moment, and he murmured:

"Let's go back to my house so I can fix you up. Don't worry," I added when I saw her eyes widen. "I'll protect you… she won't lay a hand on you while I'm around."

"K-Kiba... can you... can you promise me something?"

Neko's wide eyes were still fixated on me.

"Anything." I nodded as I took her hand.

"P-please... please don't do anything..."

The more she wanted to say, it seemed like there were more tears coming out.

"I promise I won't. Unless... she's about to hurt you."

That seemed to satisfy her for the moment as she leaned into me and I took her hand.

We began to walk back to my house, slowly because of Neko's limp, and Talon jumped onto my shoulder, whereas Akamaru walked in between the two of us.

**Neko's POV**

"_I really don't wanna go back there. I'm scared that I'm gonna get hurt or something, or that Kiba is going to do something stupid..."_ I couldn't help but think that as I gripped his hand tighter, and we walked calmly back to his house

Once we walked through the door, the first thing I saw was Tsume sitting on the couch.

She looked casual, as if nothing had happened only what seemed like moments ago, as she was reading a newspaper and tapping her feet.

Kiba seemed to hold my hand tighter as he sighted his mom, and she looked up at the two of us.

"I'm going to go take Kuromaru out for a walk. Kiba… why don't you and your girlfriend go out and buy groceries or something? It'll give you room for lots of fun together..."

With that, she and Kuromaru walked out of the house, leaving the newspaper behind.

I looked up at Kiba to see his angry face fixated at where his mother had disappeared, and he looked down at me when she was completely out of sight.

His eyes changed for an instant, but he whispered:

"I'll follow her. Don't worry; stay here. I don't want your leg to get worse."

I felt my mouth drop open in disbelief.

"D-don't... leave me here... what if she..."

I so desperately wanted to argue with him, but the look in his eyes told me not to as I slouched down on the couch with Talon on my lap, feeling all of this sudden weight drop onto my shoulders.

Kiba ducked down and gave me a kiss on the cheek for no more than a moment.

"I'll protect you. Don't worry, baby. I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you anymore. I have a plan."

He pressed his forehead against mine and brushed his lips over mine for a moment, then walked out of the house with Akamaru at his feet.

"_What… what if she comes back before he does? Why would he do something so rash and stupid? Why didn't I stop him?!"_

All of these stupid questions hit me hard as I listened to the silence of the house. Even Talon seemed a little tense.

The only thing I could really do was breathe in and out until Talon got up and hid behind the couch.

"Good call, Talon. I don't want _you_ to get hurt, either."

After sitting there for a few more moments, I felt sweat dripping down my face and it started to make me uncomfortable.

"Stay there, Talon, it's okay. I'm just gonna go into the kitchen and wash my face off."

Talon meowed back to me in reply as I got up and went into the kitchen to wash my face after wobbling a few times.

Without really even thinking about it, I started to kind of hum as I washed my hands, but that's when a noise sounded behind me. Like footsteps stopping.

I whipped around to see Tsume and Kuromaru standing there, and Kuromaru made a faint growl-like sound.

A gasp played on my lips as I watched her teeth curl into a cruel smile.

"I'll fucking end you here. I knew he'd fall for that stupid trick… he always has… the clone jutsu... and I'll take advantage of this moment and kill you now."

Tsume's sinister growl made me almost lurch forward onto the ground and beg for mercy.

She was terrifying, truely.

"Any last words, bitch?"

I shook my head, begging Kiba to come back.

_"Why did he have to leave?!"_

As I thought about him now, I felt a sudden pang of pain in my stomach, and as I looked down, I could faintly see a kunai lodged just above my naval through my tear-filled eyes.

Panic began to set in as I stared at it for a moment longer, and a faint whimper escaped from my lips as my hands curled around the kunai.

Tsume laughed at me.

"And I thought Kiba was a better ninja than _that_... he couldn't tell a clone from the real thing. Time's up, you disgusting little kitty cat. You'll die… _now."_

A kunai flashed in my line of vision, and everything went black, yet I knew I wasn't unconscious.

I blinked for a moment, but that's when I realized that the second kunai never touched me.

The blackness I could see was caused by a shadow.

**Kiba's POV**

As soon as I left my own house, I picked up Tsume's scent.

Akamaru jumped off of the porch and ran in front of me, following the scent as well.

I really had only one thing on my mind; how to tell my mom not to hurt Neko.

_"She'll just call me a cat-lover… that's an embarrassing name."_

Following the scent was hard, considering it went all over the place.

It even confused Akamaru in some places, as he would whimper, then pick up the scent again.

_"Maybe I'm wrong not to trust her… wait… but she's the one who tried to hurt Neko. I have every right to be suspicious."_

Akamaru suddenly stopped and barked up at me.

_"The scent just completely disappeared."_

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I growled:

"What do you mean it just disappeared?! That doesn't make any sense! Now, quit screwing with me and find her!"

Akamaru stared at me for a moment, but growled again:

_"I can't find the scent anymore because it's gone. Like it never existed."_

I was about to ask how the hell a scent can just disappear, but that's when it hit me.

_"How the hell can I be so stupid?"_

Of course it had been a clone. What the hell did I think it was, Tsume casually going out for a stroll after she made Neko feel like shit?

Who better to know my mindset than my own mother?

She _knew_ I was going to follow her if I found out, and that's exactly what she planned for.

"Ah, shit!" I heard myself curse as I violently turned on my heel and sprinted back to my house.

"Keep up with me," I growled back to Akamaru. "If she lays another finger on Neko, hold me back, boy."

_"Don't do anything stupid,"_ My dog whined back to me, reminding me of Neko.

The very thought of her being hurt again made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.

I knew I wouldn't be able to hack it if something happened to her because I was being an idiot.

The moment my house came into view, I picked up the pace, only to practically run over the door, greeted by Tsume's laugh.

Not a normal laugh, either.

One of her laughs that she used when she felt sadistic. Like she was about to kill something or someone.

This particular laugh made me sick for only a moment, but before I could even comprehend Akamaru going to sit by Talon on the couch, I raced into the kitchen.

I took in the sight of Neko standing with her back to the sink, something was sticking out of her stomach, as Tsume turned in a way that looked like she was about to throw something.

_"Don't even think about it,"_ I warned her in my head.

I didn't have any time to think as I moved quickly and stood in front of Neko.

Instantly, I felt a stinging pain where my heart was supposed to be, but it's not like I cared too much about myself at the moment.

After gasping for a moment, I glowered at Tsume, whose eyes were wide open in shock.

"K-Kiba…?" She asked me, her mouth almost agape in what seemed like surprise.

I really couldn't keep a snarl out of my voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Tsume's eyes traced me. "I… I was just…"

I heard a growl escape from my throat.

"No. I know _exactly_ what you did. Threatening to _kill_ her? _Hurting_ her?"

Tsume stayed silent as I continued, walking toward her, trying to ignore whatever the hell this stinging feeling was.

"Mom, that girl… she's the love of my fucking life. If there's one person that I won't let you hurt, it's her."

Tsume opened her mouth to speak, but I growled, cutting her off:

"No. Don't even talk. I don't care if she's an Inari. Honestly. I don't. In fact, her cat, Talon, I can get used to her. But… I love her. And if you're gonna hurt her, you're gonna have to kill me to even come near her. I won't let you hurt her."

I turned to see Neko staring up at me, her gray eyes wide with fear and uncertainty, but I reached out and stroked her cheek, trying to comfort her.

"I told you I'd protect you…" My voice was mostly a whisper, but I hoped my mom heard it. I want her to know how much I love Neko.

"T-thank you..." Neko's small voice answered me, making me smile automatically.

I turned again, meeting my mom's eyes.

"Mom… before you knew who she was, you told me every day that I should tell her how I feel. You kept telling me that you didn't care if I was with her, I could stay all night with her. But… you just tried to kill her."

Tsume looked away from me.

"Kiba… you know how much I don't like cats, and…"

Immediately, I shook my head, feeling my teeth begin to emerge from my mouth.

"And that gives you what rights to try to kill her? Do you not understand how much I love her? I'd kill myself for her."

I felt Neko shake behind me, and I backed up to stand beside her.

Without thinking about it, I took her hand.

"If you lay another hand on her… then I don't have a problem with keeping you from doing it again. Better yet… _ever_."

As I said this, I squeezed Neko's hand a little, and she squeezed it back, as if she was answering me.

I know she hates it when I threaten other people and stuff like that, but my mom needed to know.

She needed to know that I'd do anything for Neko, and if she had a problem with that... then she could disown me for all I cared. I'd love Neko anyway.

Tsume stared at me for a moment, then she growled, seeming to suddenly lose her temper:

"She can't even protect herself! What the hell attracted you to her?!"

Irritated that my mom could even _suggest_ something like that, I growled:

"She may not be able to when it comes to you… because I know how ruthless you can be, but everything attracted her to me. Her smile, her voice, her actions… her eyes."

I breathed, thinking about her even though she was right next to me, but I continued:

"And I'm not gonna let you hurt her. Okay?"

Tsume was silent for a moment, but looked up at me with her eyes narrowed in an unreadable expression.

"If you feel this strongly about it… then okay. Fine. I'll accept her."

With that, she walked out of the room, and Neko whispered: "Is she… gone?"

I listened closely, and as I heard the door close, almost immediately I felt my shoulders sag in sudden exhaustion. "Yeah, she's gone."

Neko ran in front of me and I watched her eyes widen.

"K-Kiba… does it… does it hurt?"

I looked down at her with a quizzical look on my face as her eyes seemed to get bigger and bigger.

"What…?"

The only thing blocking me from seeing her face was a kunai lodged into my shoulder, near where my heart was.

At first, I was a little confused as to how I hadn't noticed it had gotten stuck there, but I pulled it out, trying to seem like it didn't just rip me apart.

"No. It doesn't hurt."

Neko looked down at herself, and another kunai that was lodged into her stomach caught my eye.

I had seen it earlier, but adrenaline had made me not think much of it.

Feeling automatic concern, I breathed in, my heart-rate rapidly increasing.

"Are you ok?!" I demanded.

Neko looked back up at me, smiling.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll get it out, but yours looks worse than mine."

I looked down once again and scarlet blood seemed to be pouring out from the rip in my jacket, and rolling down onto the floor.

Neko ran to the bathroom, taking no notice as she almost face-planted a couple of times on her way there.

"I'll get some bandages and fix you!"

Before I could tell her that I was fine again, she was already gone.

I smiled, feeling my heart do backflips.

_"Heh. She really cares about me just as much as I care about her."_

**Neko's POV**

With every step I took, I felt the kunai that was attached to me tear deeper into my skin.

But I didn't care.

_"Kiba's hurt… I have to close that tear."_

I was more determined than normal as I looked around in the bathroom and finally found the bandages I was looking for.

I raced out of the bathroom, only to find Kiba sitting on the couch next to Akamaru and Talon, who both looked relaxed.

He had taken his jacket off, and blood was all over his injury.

Though, he didn't have any particular emotion on his face, he looked tired.

I made my way over to him, and his eyes shot to me, filled with love.

"Neko… it's okay…" but I couldn't let him finish. "Kiba, I don't want you to bleed anymore."

Without his consent, I began dressing his wound, and emotion began to come back to his face.

Once I was done, he looked up at me, looking almost emotionless again.

"I love you, Neko. I'm sorry… I let you get hurt when I said I would protect you. I'm so sorry."

Automatically, I could see how earnest and upset he was about what had happened that day, and I sighed.

"It's okay, Kiba. I don't care… as long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me."

Kiba looked up at me, blinked, and then sighed as well. "But… you got hurt."

He looked down at the kunai that was still in my stomach, and I rushed into pulling it out, feeling nothing but pain as I threw it to the ground.

Blood spattered on the floor a little bit, but I covered up the bulk of it with my hand so Kiba wouldn't see.

"It's okay… really. It'll heal, I'm sure…"

No matter what I said though, Kiba still growled and picked up the remaining bandages that I had managed to drop.

"Doesn't mean that I'm not gonna help you with it," He muttered, his eyes revealing nothing but confusion. "Now, come on. Let me do yours, too."

Reluctantly, I lifted up my shirt to reveal a huge, hole-like opening in my stomach.

_"I didn't know a kunai could cause all of that..." _I guess it must have been all of the moving around that I did before pulling it out...

Kiba's eyes widened, and he began busily working on helping me with wrapping myself.

Once we were done, I looked up at him and saw anger on his face.

"Kiba… it's okay." I whispered in the softest tone I could manage.

His eyes shot to me and he growled:

"What's okay?!"

The tone in his voice alone made me nervous; it sounded like he wanted nothing other than to get back at his mother.

"Everything's okay. She didn't like me… that's okay. It's understandable in her point of view, but…"

Kiba cut me off, looking away.

"She _hurt_ you, she _threatened_ you, and then she tried to _kill_ you. I don't see _anything_ 'okay' with those things. If she wasn't my mom… I'd kill her."

I felt my heart stop at Kiba's hatred. How could he say something like that?

"Kiba… I'm fine. It really _is_ okay." I tried begging him, but it wasn't working as he just stared at me, none of the anger in his eyes melting.

The more he stared at me, the more afraid I became.

I wrapped my arms around him, feeling my head fall underneath his chin; my favorite position.

"Kiba… please." I whispered.

This must have gotten to him, because I felt his tense body loosen up as he murmured:

"Fine. I love you," he added, softly, and I smiled, hugging his neck tighter. "I love you, too."

I tried to pull away, but Kiba seemed unwilling to let me go.

After a moment, I tried digging my claws into him.

"Let me go, you moron!"

I could only feel his hold on me getting tighter.

"I don't want to." He whispered.

My claws came out again as I dug them into his shoulder, making him bleed a little bit.

"I'm sorry!" My voice came out as a small almost-squeal.

Kiba only seemed to forgive me as he rubbed my back.

"Baby," was all he would say after that.

We hugged for another three minutes, until the door opened and made us pull apart.

Tsume, Kuromaru, and Hana walked in and their eyebrows rose simultaneously.

Hana laughed almost immediately.

"I hope we didn't walk in on something here…"

I heard Kiba snort: "No."

His eyes were getting sharp again as his eyes wandered from Hana to his mom.

_"Please don't let him do something stupid..."_

Tsume cleared her throat, glancing at Hana in a nervous way.

"Uh… when I left, I went to ask Hana for advice on what I should do. Being the… person… that she is…"

She glanced at Hana again, who now had a smug look on her face, then continued:

"Well… um… she said I should apologize to you both. I'm sorry, Neko," Tsume's eyes met mine, and I could see exactly where Kiba got his eyes from.

"I'm sorry for hating you on sight. Honestly, I don't know very much about you, other than you make my son… happier than he's ever been, and I'm sorry I attacked you. That was… _way_ out of line."

"Damn straight," I could hear Kiba growl faintly, but that's when Tsume turned to him.

"Kiba… I'm sorry for not realizing how much she meant to you. I understand now that she means the world and everything in it to you. I hope both of you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."

I could almost feel the growl that rumbled in Kiba's throat.

Without thinking about it and feeling a bit unsteady, I stood up and made my way over to Tsume.

"It's okay," I murmured as I stopped in front of her, and I hugged her. "Forgive and forget, right?"

I could even see Hana smile out of the corner of my eye.

After a moment, I let go of Tsume and stared at Kiba, who was glaring into space.

"Kiba…?" I asked softly, and glared at me, and that's when Kiba and Tsume's eyes met.

Kiba's eyes were full of anger and hatred still, but he looked away again.

"Tch. If she forgives you, then so do I."

Hana jumped up and down suddenly.

"I think _this_ requires a celebration, don't you think?"

Kiba's eyebrows furrowed, making him look confused.

"Since when are _you_ into celebrations?"

Hana shrugged. "Since forever. What do you guys think?"

I nodded; a celebration as well as getting to know Kiba's family the _right way _would be fun.

However, it was all up to Kiba on this one.

I looked at him, and he sighed.

"Alright, fine."

Tsume nodded. "Then… let's go. Hana, since you were the one who decided to bring it up, you decide where we go."

Hana nodded happily. "We'll go somewhere we all get to know each other better... the park!"

I laughed and grabbed the jacket that Kiba had bought for me earlier that day from off of the couch and put it on.

"C'mon, Kiba." I called to him, and I couldn't help notice that as he sighted me in the jacket, his eyes immediately softened.

Tsume and Hana walked outside, and Kiba kissed me on the cheek as I made my way to the door.

"Baby…" Kiba murmured, going in for another one, but I pushed him away.

"Don't be selfish..."

"If I'm being selfish, does that mean I have to share you? I don't want to share you..."

I walked out of the door, feeling Kiba's arm around my waist now.

As we stepped outside, I almost tripped off of the porch, but he caught me.

"Careful, baby," Kiba warned me softly, but I snorted: "Shh, Kiba…"

Tsume and Hana were waiting for us, and we all started off to the park so we could all finally meet eachother and not kill each other.

* * *

Ok… for one, the next chapter is a time skip, and normally, this would be the end, but for resolution's sake, I'll add at least 5 more chapters in time-skips. :P Yeah, I know. Thanks for all the reviews. I appreciate them! :D Anyway, more to come! Rate/Review!

12/2/12: Oh! I'm sorry I took so damn long on this! Ah! Anyway, I missed Rock Lee's birthday :\ (11/27/12) Damn it.

Also... I'm going to start writing my legitimate book (For real not on FFN). So if I don't post a lot, sorry :(

Rate/Review!


	44. The Reason: Tsume's Story

_Flashback:_

_Neko walked out of the door, feeling Kiba's arm around her waist. She almost tripped off of the porch, but he caught her. "Careful, baby," he warned softly, but she snorted, "Shh, Kiba…" Tsume and Hana were waiting for them, and they started off to the restaurant that Hana had picked for the four of them._

Chapter 44: The Reason: Tsume's Story

"Hurry up! Hana! Kiba! It's time for your daily training session with each other!" Tsume called her children, and the two ran outside, grabbing kunai as they raced to the far side of their yard. She couldn't help but smile; it had been a nice day, without a cloud in the near-evening sky.

For a moment, she looked out of the window, and watched Hana, who was six at the time, and Kiba, who was four. They were running around and having a competition on who could strike the trees with the most force.

A hand was laid on her shoulder, and she turned to see her husband standing behind her, with bright brown eyes and a happy smile. "Akio…" she whispered as she turned to hug him. Unlike most Inuzuka, Akio looked different. He didn't have the same eyes, or the wild attitude. He was very calm most of the time, and he enjoyed being around any kind of people, even if he didn't particularly like them.

Akio smiled at her even more widely, "Seems as if you've got the kids handled, Tsume," he whispered back. Tsume couldn't help but smile at him, and she watched as Kiba threw a kunai, completely missing the tree. He ran to go and get it, and Hana was left, throwing her kunai at the tree, landing in the same place every time.

"The dog that I wanted to get Hana… well… it's triplets." Tsume admitted, and Akio just looked at her, "Are you sure she'll be able to handle that? I mean… one dog is enough, but… three…" Tsume nodded, "She'll be fine. After all, it can't be much different than having a little brother, _especially_ a little troublemaker like Kiba."

As his name was mentioned, he came racing out of the trees, and even the two adults could hear him, "I'll race you from here to over there, Hana!" Neither backed down from the potential bragging rights, and they both raced out of sight.

Tsume couldn't help but sigh, and she heard Akio mutter, "Those kids… they're both sweet and all, but sometimes I wonder if there's a way that will make them calm down…" She laughed; honestly, she couldn't do anything more than agree.

The two sat in silence, and just as Tsume was about to speak, Kiba came racing in, "Mom, Dad! You've gotta see what Hana found!" Confused, the two adults, as well as Kuromaru and Akio's rather large dog Shiromaru, raced outside to find Hana crouched over something.

"What's up, Hana?" Tsume asked, and Hana picked up a small scrap of fur. She held it in her arms as she turned to her parents, "Look… it's a cat!" Automatically, Tsume's eyebrows knitted together; what would a cat be doing so close to their house? After all, there were dogs everywhere… Kuromaru and Shiromaru stayed silent, and Tsume couldn't help but notice that Akio's eyes widened.

Hana began petting it, "I wonder whose cat this is…?" But Kiba just snorted, "Who cares? It's a cat! Don't even get it _near_ me!" Akio sighed, "Well, we can't just leave it here. I guess we'll have to ask around and see who may claim it."

The family of four began to walk toward the central part of Konoha, but almost as soon as they left their yard, a woman was looking around frantically. Hana, being the sweet little girl she was, walked up to her, "Ma'am, is this your cat?"

The woman's eyes widened and she said, "Michi! I've been looking _all over_ for you!" Tsume looked at the woman with narrowed eyes; honestly, she didn't know what to think of her. She seemed hyperactive.

Akio suddenly spoke up, "If you don't mind me asking… what's your name?" The woman smiled as she took the cat from Hana, "I'm Takara." He held out his hand, "Well… my name is Akio Inuzuka, and this is my wife Tsume." Takara shook his hand, and Tsume held out her hand self-consciously. They shook hands, Takara giving her a wide smile.

He then gestured with his head, "And these are my two children; Hana and Kiba." Hana looked up at the strange woman and said hello, but Kiba almost grimaced as he nodded to her. "Also, this is Kuromaru, Tsume's dog, and Shiromaru, my dog." Both dogs barked at her in greeting, and Takara smiled again, even wider, as she said, "Well, I must go back to my house; I bet little Michi is hungry."

But before she could even take a step, Akio said, "Well, you seem new to the village, so if you ever need any help with settling in, stop by. We live right around here." Takara jumped up for a moment, "That would be wonderful! Thank you for your hospitality, and goodbye!" She took off in a full sprint down the street, and Tsume glared at Akio.

"What?" He asked, but all she could do was huff; they'd talk about this when the kids weren't around. The walk back to their house was quiet, and in the silence, Tsume couldn't help but admit to herself that she was a bit jealous of that woman with the cat.

"_Why would he want ANYTHING to do with her? I mean, it can't be that hard to adjust to being in a new village. He didn't have to invite her over to our house or anything…"_ Once they reached the door, Kiba ran upstairs, whereas Hana sat down on the couch next to Kuromaru and Shiromaru.

Tsume walked up to Akio, confused and wanting to know all of the answers. "Akio… why did you invite that woman to our house?" He looked at her and sighed, "It was a nice thing to do." Not wanting to start anything with Hana in the room, she decided to let it be, for now.

However, Akio looked over at their daughter, "Hana, can you go upstairs for a moment?" Tsume cracked her neck, feeling a sudden tension in the room as Hana raced up the stairs. Once she had gone, and a door had closed, she turned to him, "Akio… that woman and her cat will probably be murdered by Shiromaru and Kuromaru."

Tsume glanced at the two dogs as she spoke, and Akio sighed, "Takara is her name, Tsume. What's your problem? Why are you so inhospitable all of a sudden?" Tsume just growled back, feeling her temper begin to rise as she countered, "Why are you so welcoming to her, then? Do you _know_ her?" She watched as Akio's eyes wandered the room and he looked back at her, "So what if I do? Maybe it'll be a chance for you two to get to know each other."

"_He… KNOWS her? How? When? Where?"_ Questions seemed to almost plague Tsume's mind, but she snapped out of it when Akio continued, "We met on a mission when I was only a genin. She was walking somewhere, and I saw her and talked to her, asking about the town that my teammates and I were near. She told me lots of facts, but that was the last time I saw her. I doubt she remembers me, though. That's why I'm going to get to know her better, and you can be there with me when I try!"

"_Damn him and his impeccable memory,"_ Tsume cursed in her mind. "Fine. Maybe she'll come over tomorrow, and you should tell her that you know her, and then we'll see where things go from there. Ok?" Akio looked almost emotionless as he shrugged, "Ok." And journeyed to their shared room.

Tsume sat down on a vacant couch, next to Kuromaru, as he barked up at her, _"You seem tense."_ She glanced at him and patted him on the head, "Sorry. Why don't you and Shiromaru go to bed?" The dog nodded in submission and Shiromaru followed him back to her and Akio's bedroom.

After the dogs left, Tsume could only think of a handful of reason as to how that woman, Takara, had somehow come to the village at a time like this, and know who her husband was. Once she had pondered everything for an hour, she returned to bed, and curled up next to Akio, falling asleep within seconds.

**Three Days Later**

Tsume was cleaning the kitchen, after Kiba had found it funny to have a water balloon fight with himself all over the place, and left it soaking wet from top to bottom. Irritated, she kept cleaning and picking up broken balloons from the floor, when a ring was heard from the doorbell. Kuromaru jumped up, but didn't bark.

Before she could even _think_ about moving, Akio had raced to the door to see who it was. Only a moment had passed when Tsume heard an ominous "I love your house! It must take a lot of work to keep it this clean and pretty! And… your dogs!" Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as none other than Takara had run over to Shiromaru and began hugging her.

Shiromaru didn't seem to mind her, and neither did Kuromaru, as he just sighed and curled up on the couch again. Tsume walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. _"I was wondering when she'd come over."_ Takara turned to her and held out her hand, "Hello! It's nice to meet you!"

Tsume couldn't get over her smile, and felt a small, fake smile creep over her own cheeks, "Nice to meet you as well." They shook hands, and Takara took her seat on one of their three couches. Tsume took her seat next to Akio, and he said, "So… Takara… do you remember me?"

Takara looked confused as she said, "No… At least, I don't think so. Where _should_ I remember you from?" Tsume watched as a nostalgic smile lit up his face, "When we met in the forest next to the Land of Snow back when we were both Genin? You told me that there hadn't been a single flower that had sprouted in the Land of Snow for at least twenty years."

Tsume watched as Takara's purple eyes became wide and she exclaimed, "Akio…? I remember now!" Akio's eyes closed in happiness as the two engaged in a nostalgic talk about the past and the Land of Snow. It even got to the point where Tsume told herself, _"It feels as if I'm almost a third wheel…"_

Suddenly, Takara turned to her, "So… how did you two meet?" Tsume was taken aback by the sudden question as she said, "Well… the two of us were sitting together at a clan meeting. We turned to look at each other, and… it grew from there." Takara almost swooned as she said, "That's _so_ romantic!"

All of them began talking, and Tsume had actually begun to trust Takara. When Takara looked at the clock, she exclaimed, "Oh no! I have to get home; Michi is probably hungry! Thank you two for everything, and maybe I'll come over next week." Akio smiled brightly, "I'm sure we would love to have you, and then you'll be able to meet the kids, when they're not outside playing."

Takara smiled, "I would love to!" She gave Tsume a hug, which she returned, but she was taken aback when Takara nearly attacked Akio, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Automatically, a feeling of jealousy erupted from her psyche, and she almost had to turn away to prevent herself from ripping Takara to pieces. However, Takara left in a very hasty way, and Akio turned to her with a smile on his face, "That was fun. It's not every day that we get company like her."

"_How can he think nothing of it? She KISSED him for fuck's sake!"_ Tsume felt a growl coming from her throat, and Akio's eyebrows creased as his dark brown eyes seared hers, "What's wrong?" But she felt rage take over, "You're just going to _let_ her kiss you? Even when you have a _wife?_"

Akio's eyes became almost defensive as he sighed, "Tsume, calm down. She is very friendly, and I don't think anything of it because I didn't feel it. The only kisses that matter to me are the ones _you_ give me." Normally, something like that would make a girl blush and automatically forgive him, but Tsume is a different story.

Rage bubbled up to her neck, and she ground her teeth together, "Why would you _let _her, though? Don't you care about _my_ feelings?" Akio's mouth curved down into a frown, "It's not like I have the ability to see the future. If I could have avoided it, then I _would_ have, if I had known that you'd act like _this_."

Tsume let out a heavy sigh, "Fine. Whatever." She brushed past them, finding her way into their bedroom and locking the door behind her. As soon as the door was locked, she punched the wall angrily. Her normally-impatient side told her that she had every right to be angry at him; he had a wife and two kids, yet he was letting other women kiss him. However, her rational side told her that it was only a kiss on the cheek, and that he was right; he _can't_ see the future.

But the door opened, and Akio was leaning against the doorframe, a thoughtful look on his face. "Tsume…" he started, but she felt only rage as she snarled, "Get away from me. I'm not in the mood right now." Akio's eyes widened in confusion, "But… the kids are wondering where you are. They say they have to talk to you."

"Tell them I can't talk right now! I just need to be left alone." Akio sighed, "Fine." As he turned to walk away, he looked back, his eyes piercing her with a sad emotion in them, "You know, Tsume… I hate it when we fight." Feeling numb and nothing but angry, she screamed, _"You're the REASON that we're fighting!"_ His eyebrows rose, and he backed away, "I'm sorry if _that's_ what you think…"

All Tsume felt was rage as her rational self was pushed down to reveal her jealous, over-reactive self, "It _is_ what I think! You wanna know what _else_ I think? I think that you _enjoyed_ that kiss that _she_ gave you!" Akio began to back up as Tsume let her teeth show, and he walked away, and soon she heard the door slam.

Hana walked into the room, "Hey, mom-" But all she said was: "Go somewhere else." Kiba followed her, though, and asked, "Why'd you scare dad?" Tsume felt nothing but anger as she sighed, "I didn't. He just has to go get something. I'm sure he'll be back in a while." The two kids nodded, and ran off, doing whatever brothers and sisters do together.

Tsume sat in their room for hours on end, waiting for him to come back, but she saw that it was midnight. She got up, aching all over, and went to go get some milk. Then, she heard a familiar voice in the form of a whisper, "C'mon, Shiromaru."

Curious, she walked out into the living room. There he was; Akio was motioning for Shiromaru to follow him without making any noise, but Tsume whispered, hearing her old, playful voice, "What the hell are you doing? C'mon already; get to bed." He froze and looked into her eyes, but they looked different… almost… guarded.

It took him a moment to answer, but he said, "I'm not going to stay here." Tsume felt her eyebrows knit together, "What; do you have a mission to attend to?" His face was still blank, and he shook his head, "No." It was then that Tsume felt her stomach drop, "Then… what are you doing?"

He took a deep breath, and handed her a letter that was packed beyond carrying capacity. "Just delivering this, and leaving." He and Shiromaru left, making Tsume wonder even more what the hell was up, and she tore open the letter. Inside was a small note, as well as many different papers.

"_Dear Tsume:_

_I'm sorry, but what you said earlier was completely out of line. I went to the Hokage's office and picked up some important papers that I have already filled out, but I got a copy for you to fill out as well. I expect that you'll get that done, but I'm afraid I'm never coming back. There is no easy way to explain this, but… I have found that you would be a better mother to our children if I wasn't here. Again, I am so truly sorry that I couldn't come up with the balls to tell you this myself, but the papers enclosed will explain it all._

_I am sorry that it seems as though I came up with this decision on impulse, but what you said to me earlier honestly ate away at my heart, as well as my feelings for you._

_Truthfully sorry, _

_Akio Inuzuka"_

Tsume read the letter at least three times over again before she placed it on the counter and began to check out the papers in the letter. She picked one up, and she read the first three words that jumped out to her, and she dropped the letter and all of its contents.

"_Divorce papers? But… why?"_ The only things on her mind were sadness and extreme pain. She stood there, shaking, and bolted out the door, not caring at the moment if Kiba or Hana woke up. Following Akio's scent trail, Tsume ran through the nearly empty streets of Konoha, and tripped over every that crossed her path.

Everything that she passed was blurred, as she was only concentrating on his scent. Tsume reached the gates, the ground shining in the moonlight, and she saw Akio talking with Takara. _"What the? What's SHE doing here?"_ She was holding her cat, and the two turned from talking and began to walk away into the darkness of the forest.

No matter how little she knew at the moment, if there was one thing that she was certain about, it was that Akio wasn't coming back. Tsume forced her legs into motion, and she neared the couple, who seemed completely oblivious to her presence. She got close enough to hear what they were saying, and she heard Akio say, "You're an Inari, huh? I guess that explains the cat."

Shiromaru looked back at Tsume with a sorrowful look, and Takara glanced at her, "Well, since you're an Inuzuka, I know that's where you got your dog. She's so cute, by the way." Akio shrugged, but he continued as their voices faded out into the distance, "From the moment that I met you, I knew that I'd meet you again. I just didn't know that we'd be running away to be together."

The last line was the last thing she heard out of her now-ex-husband's mouth, and she dropped to her knees at the gate as the outline of his figure disappeared. Tsume was holding her stomach in agony, feeling tears escape from her eyes. _"What the hell have I done? If I had known that what I said had hurt him to the point that… that he doesn't love ME anymore…"_

She felt herself shaking in a now-angry manner, _"The Inari clan… those… cat people… the next one I meet… I'll give them hell. I'll give them more hell than they'll ever experience."_ Tsume growled, feeling her teeth emerge from her mouth, and she struggled to stand up as she walked, shakily, back to her house. _"What am I going to tell the kids?"_

Tsume pondered over what exactly to tell them as she travelled home, feeling cold from the neck down, and crying her eyes out.

Ok, FIRST OF ALL: I wanna give a special thanks to Rokuchuchu for giving me the inspiration to make a backstory for Tsume since her attitude didn't make sense to many of you! Thanks a bunch! :) Also, I'm sorry if I offended any of you by making her OOC :( Thought I'd mix up the cards a bit by doing that, so that not everything is predictable. Also, I'm sorry that this took half past FOREVER to write. I've been kind of uncharacteristically tired these last few days. :( Sorry. Last 5 Chapters to be introduced soon! :) Rate/Review!


	45. Popping The Question

_Flashback:_

_Tsume pondered over what exactly to tell them as she travelled home, feeling cold from the neck down, and crying her eyes out._

Chapter 45: Popping The Question

**Neko's POV**

Neko woke up, feeling the sun on her face. Talon had been sleeping in her hair, and was jerked awake by her head turning. She blushed; today was the day that she and Kiba were going to relive that day two years ago, where he had first told her he had loved her at the lake.

"Today's the day, Talon! C'mon, I bet you're just _dying_ to see Akamaru again, right?" Talon meowed lazily, seemingly wanting to stay in bed all day. "You lazy cat! You're just as bad as Shika!" Neko jumped out of bed and began to dress herself. With that done, she grabbed the necklace that Kiba had given her. _"Better not forget this,"_ she murmured in her head.

She rushed to the bathroom to do her hair, but Shikamaru stopped her, "You might not want to go in there, kid." He had the most tired expression on his face, and before she could ask why, he continued, "Temari's got morning sickness… again." Shikamaru and Temari had gotten married only a few months before, and they had found out she was pregnant two months ago. He sighed, "If I had known it'd be _this_ much of a drag to have a kid…" Temari's feeble voice sounded from the bathroom, "I heard that, bastard."

Shikamaru flinched and said, "Where are you headed?" Neko smiled, "Oh… Kiba and I are going to relive having our picnic this afternoon!" Talon walked up to her lazily, and Neko shook her head, "That cat has become more and more like you over the days. Maybe it's because you two hang out a lot more." All Shikamaru did was sigh as he said, "Well… when is he coming over?"

Neko smiled even more brightly, "He's coming over at noon." But Shikamaru's face became confused, "But… it's one." Neko felt only dread as she thought, _"Oh shit… am I late?"_ But Shikamaru laughed, "I'm messing with you. It's eleven thirty." She slapped him, "Dammit, Shika! Scared me for a moment there!"

He rubbed his cheek, "Damn… now I know how Kiba felt when you kept slapping him back in the day." As soon as he had finished that sentence, Temari staggered out of the bathroom, holding onto her fan to keep her on her feet. "Here's your brush, kiddo." She handed Neko her brush and she began brushing her hair in a rushed manner, and then flew down the stairs to wait by the door.

Even though she could tell that Shikamaru was trying his best to keep his voice down, she heard him mutter, "She gets more and more eager every day…" Talon sat down next to Neko's feet, and curled her tail over her paws in a very official way, but soon jumped up and began scratching at the door.

**Kiba's POV**

Kiba woke up early, around eleven. Although nothing much had changed about him over the years, he still couldn't believe how much his love for a certain Inari was growing. In fact, he wasn't even sure he could love her any more than he did at that second.

He jumped up, getting dressed and showering like normal, taking a bit of time to put on his necklace, but then he grabbed a certain item and put it in his pocket, smiling almost obsessively. _"Today's the day,"_ he sighed, out loud, and Akamaru woke up, his ears cocked up in the air as he barked, _"You're going to do it?"_

Kiba looked over at his gigantic furry friend and nodded, "Yeah. I hope she doesn't see it coming though. _That's_ no fun." Akamaru just snorted as he stood up, _"You've been a lot more excited about seeing her than normal. I wouldn't be surprised if she saw it coming."_

"I hope not." Kiba frowned, slightly, but walked downstairs with Akamaru anyway, to find Hana lying on the floor, asleep. Kiba threw a pen at her and she shook her head suddenly, "Kiba… what do you want?" "Nothing," he shrugged. "It's still fun messing with 'ya, sis!"

She just growled and turned over lazily, falling back into sleep. Tsume walked out from a hallway with a bunch of paper in her hand. "Oh… good morning, Kiba. How long have you been up?" Kiba smiled at his mother; obviously, it had taken half past _forever_ to actually fully forgive her, but she had _earned_ it by being just completely supportive of their relationship, even tearing up at a couple of the things they had said to each other.

"Not long. I just can't wait to see Neko today." He grabbed the picnic basket that was full of food, learning from his previous mistake of leaving everything until the last minute, and Tsume laughed, "Well… I see you're going for another picnic. What do you have planned _this_ time?"

Kiba felt a small blush creep up his cheeks as he muttered, "Nothing." He held the basket tightly, and bolted out the door, Akamaru following him at a fast pace. "That… was a close one!" Kiba growled, feeling embarrassed. Akamaru just sighed, _"Yeah, it was. You're gonna have to tell her sometime."_ Kiba sighed back, paused for a moment, and replied, "Yeah, I know. I will."

He looked up at the sky, and realized that he and Akamaru were going to be right on time. He raced up to Shikamaru's door, and before he could do anything, he heard ominous scratching that he knew was Talon signaling to Neko that he was there.

**Neko's POV**

Neko opened up the door and saw Kiba standing there with an oversized Akamaru; the dog had grown larger than anything that she had ever seen, and even though Kiba insisted that he never noticed the growth since the two of them are always together, she wondered how the hell you don't notice when your dog is the size of a pony.

"Hey, baby," he murmured when he saw her. The eighteen year old boy was dressed in a black fitted leather jacket with a fishnet underneath. He had had to trade it for his old jacket because Akamaru chewed it up when he got mad at him, which made Kiba mad in turn. However, Neko personally liked the jacket he had on right then.

"Hi," she said, smiling from ear to ear. He took her hand and pulled her out of the building. "Bye, Shika!" Neko yelled into the house, and he just sighed in reply. Once they were a safe distance from the house, Talon jumped onto Neko's shoulder, and Kiba said, "Do you want to get on?"

Taking this the wrong way, she felt a blush heat up her cheeks, "Uh… what… what do you mean?" Kiba turned to her, his face turning red as well, "On Akamaru… you know…" Neko felt a giggle escape her lips; Kiba was cute when he was embarrassed. "Sure." She finally decided. She had taken a ride on Akamaru's back a couple times, but she was _trying_ to get used to it, and Talon was the same way.

Kiba stopped as he sat on Akamaru's back, and helped her on to sit in front of him. Neko felt her back lie on his firm chest as he smirked, "Ok… let's go, Akamaru." Akamaru barked back, and they flew down the streets of Konoha.

Neko felt Kiba's hold on her body tighten, and he said, "You used to it, yet?" Neko couldn't do anything but shake her head; she didn't think she'd _ever_ be used to the blurring colors around her, and the extremely fast speed that Akamaru was travelling. Talon was digging her claws into Neko's shoulder, but it didn't hurt, with all of the adrenaline rushing to various parts of her body.

Within two minutes, Akamaru stopped in front of the same vast lake that had introduced them to loving each other. "It can't get any more beautiful… can it?" Neko breathed, half to herself. Her back turned cold, and Kiba helped her off of Akamaru, but Neko almost didn't notice because she was taken in by the landscape.

He took her hand, and Talon jumped onto his shoulder. Akamaru barked at him, and he snorted, "Not now." Neko looked up at him, "What'd he say?" Kiba's face became nearly unreadable as he answered, "Nothing." She squeezed his hand harder for a moment, and then murmured, "You have to teach me how to understand dogs."

Kiba smiled down at her now, "Maybe I will." They had walked over to the same place where they had shared that life-changing kiss, and Neko smiled, "Huh. So… Kiba. I hope you don't mind me asking, but… if… if we were to have kids, how many would you want?"

**Kiba's POV**

Kiba was so taken aback by this question, that he felt his ears turn red. His mind kept wandering into uncharted territory, and he heard himself murmur, "I dunno. Honestly, as many as _you_ want." He watched as Neko blushed and she smiled, "I would want three."

He felt his heart jump at the thought of having three kids; one that looked like him, one that looked like her, and the other one was a mix of them both. Kiba took a deep breath, _"I hope that they'd all have her eyes."_

Neko looked at him seemingly embarrassed, "Um… sorry for the random question…" but he smiled, "No, baby. It's fine." Kiba watched her face get darker from the blush, and he couldn't help but smile even wider as he leaned in to kiss her briefly. Once he had pulled away, Akamaru barked at him, _"I think now is a good time, don't you think?"_

Kiba just growled, "Maybe so! Calm down!" Neko laughed at his flustered attitude as she asked him, her gray eyes sparkling as she looked into his, "What'd he say?" Kiba bit his lip, then murmured, "He was asking me if I wanted to ask you something that I've wanted to ask you for a while now."

Neko's eyes widened, and before he could get the first word out of his mouth, a voice scored the air, "Dog boy! Neko! What the hell are you two doing all the way out here?" Kiba turned to see Naruto and Hinata racing toward the two of them. He and Naruto had made up, after all of the 'wrong-doings' the two had caused each other over the course of time, but Naruto was kind of walking in on a private moment.

"Hey, Naruto and Hinata!" Neko smiled at the two of them as they stopped in front of them. Kiba sighed, "We're just… having a picnic." But before Naruto could ask if the two of them could join, Kiba stood up and grabbed him by his arm, leading him away to a place where he could explain the situation.

**Neko's POV**

Kiba and Naruto had begun to walk away kind of sinisterly, and that made her kind of curious. _"I wonder what they're about to talk about…"_ But Hinata was staring down at her with a happy face, "So… how have you and Kiba been?" Neko smiled widely, "Great! I couldn't have asked for anyone better. How about you and Naruto?"

Hinata blushed and said, "We… we're doing great, thank you." Neko smiled, and Hinata returned it, but before the conversation could go on any longer, Naruto and Kiba were returning, Kiba rubbing his neck like he did when he was frustrated, and Naruto scratching his cheek with a smirk on his face, "Hinata! C'mon, we're leaving!"

She turned in confusion, and waved back to them, "Bye, you two!" Neko and Kiba both waved them off, and Neko turned to him, "What was that question you were going to ask me?" He turned away, "Forget it."

"Aww," she cooed, curling her hand into his, making him glance at her. "Please." Neko begged him, widening her eyes so he couldn't refuse. It _always _got to him, and today wasn't any different. Kiba sighed heavily, and smiled softly at her, "You always know how to make me give in, baby."

Neko let go of his hand and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up. Talon had found a comfortable spot on top of Akamaru's head, and the two seemed to be asleep, even though Talon's tail was flicking and Akamaru's ears were twitching.

"Baby," he started. "Uh… the question that I have to ask you… I don't know how." Neko felt laughter spill from her mouth, "Just ask it." But she felt him loosen his hold on her, "But… it's not that easy. You'll probably get mad at me." "I can't stay mad at you for more than a few minutes and you know it."

Kiba sighed, "But… those few minutes are some of the most painful minutes ever. I don't like it when you're mad at me." Neko smiled, "C'mon, just ask me." She turned to look at him, and his eyes were clouded with uncertainty. "Um…" he started, biting his lip.

"Neko… uh… how can I say this… I love you. I love you a lot. But… I don't want you to be my girlfriend anymore." He looked away, and Neko couldn't help but feel kind of taken aback. _"Is he serious?"_ She asked herself, feeling nothing but disbelief as she got out of his grasp. "What's the question?" Neko heard herself ask, shakily. All that she felt was pain at the moment, to think that he may be breaking up with her.

However, his face lit up in a smirk and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a gray box and opening his teeth, "Actually, it isn't really a question at all at the moment. It's more of a statement." Almost confused, she backed away a step, and Kiba looked into her eyes with the most intense look she'd ever seen. "I want you to be my wife. So… um…" he got down on one knee and held out the box to her. "Will you marry me?"

The words echoed in Neko's mind, and she felt her lips moving, but nothing was coming out of them. _"Is this… is this real?"_ She looked down to see the ring that he had picked, and she absolutely loved it; silver, with one diamond in the middle of it. Simple, yet stunning as it was illuminated in the sunlight of the afternoon.

Kiba was staring at her with questioning eyes, and she threw herself into his arms, "Kiba… of course! Of course I'll marry you!" She felt happy tears beginning to flow down her cheeks, but she said, "But… on one condition." She pulled away to see an even more perplexed look on his face, "Yeah… anything." She smiled widely, "That… I get to share your last name."

He began to laugh, "Don't you get to do that anyway?" Her face felt like it was frozen with a smile, "I suppose, but… I wanted to make sure you were ok with that." Kiba took the ring from the box and took her left hand, slipping it onto her ring finger with ease. "Does it fit ok?" He asked, his eyebrows creasing in worry, but Neko smiled brightly, "Yeah. In fact… it fits great. How'd you know…?"

Neko was pinned to the ground in no more than a second, as Kiba murmured, "Lucky guess." And with that, she felt his soft lips meet hers, and her eyes closed instantly.

A second later, though, a voice sounded in the distance, "Hey! You two! It's about time!" Kiba literally flew off of her, and when Neko saw who was talking to them, she smiled widely, "Ryu!"

**Kiba's POV**

When he saw Ryu at the entrance to the lake, he felt nothing but pure surprise. _"I thought he was gone for good,"_ he thought, but Talon and Neko had raced to him, and the two of them hugged. Kiba motioned to Akamaru, and the two made their way over.

"…The last time I saw you two, you were fighting like nothing else! What happened over the last two years?" Ryu was asking Neko, but before she could answer, Kiba smirked, "I realized something, _that's_ what happened." Ryu smirked back at him, and asked, "So… I see you guys are having a picnic. Huh… well… looks like I'm going to have to stay with you guys to make sure nothing unprecedented happens."

Neko's face froze, and Kiba felt his face turn blood red, and Ryu laughed, "Now, c'mon, you two. Let's eat some food."

Thought I'd add in an old friend xD Anyway, I decided to stop it there because it's four in the morning and I'm soo tired! D: Hope you guys liked it… yeah. Rate/Review! I'd appreciate it! :)


	46. Breaking The News!

_Flashback:_

_Ryu smirked back at him, and asked, "So… I see you guys are having a picnic. Huh… well… looks like I'm going to have to stay with you guys to make sure nothing unprecedented happens."_

_Neko's face froze, and Kiba felt his face turn blood-colored, and Ryu laughed, "Now, c'mon, you two. Let's eat some food."_

Chapter 46: Breaking The News!

**Neko's POV**

They had spent the entire day eating and filling Ryu in on things that he had missed while the two of them were together; all of their faults and mess ups, as well as the great strong points. Overall, it made the three of them construct a better bond between them, and Ryu suddenly asked, "Huh… so… you guys gonna invite me to your wedding?"

Neko glanced at Kiba and said, "Well… maybe if you lived closer-" But he smirked, "Well… good news; I live in Konoha now." She felt her eyes widen as she said, "What? So… of course you can come!" Neko felt Kiba's arm coil around her waist, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Ryu smiled, "You two are a good couple. I'm glad that you've found happiness, Neko."

She couldn't help but smile as she said, "Thank you." When Kiba stayed silent, she elbowed him in the side, making him yelp, "What the hell was _that_ for, pussy cat?" Neko's head shot up, her left eyebrow cocking up, "It's been awhile since you've called me that… dog boy." Before it could get ugly, Ryu put his hands up to his face, "Come by and tell me when the wedding is… because I don't want to be around when Neko kicks your ass, Kiba."

Neko couldn't help but feel triumphant and watched as Kiba frowned at Ryu's retreating back. "Oh," Ryu turned around to face the two of them. "And… if you wanted to know where I live, it's next to the Hokage's office. You know… that little blue house? Yeah, that's mine. See you kids later." He smirked and ran off into the sunset, disappearing behind the trees.

Talon had walked up to her, with her tail flicking, but said nothing as she settled down on Kiba's lap. "Aww," Neko cooed. "I think she's actually begun to stand you, Kiba." He looked down at her and sighed, "Yeah." But before they could move, Akamaru came up to Neko and rubbed his face against hers, lying down behind her only moments later.

All Neko could do was fall down onto Akamaru's belly and murmur, "He's like a gigantic cloud. So soft…" She closed her eyes and started stroking Akamaru's fur, rubbing her face into it.

**Kiba's POV**

Oddly enough, it was hard to watch Neko snuggling up against Akamaru. _"She's supposed to be snuggling with ME…"_ Jealousy was a tough pill to swallow, but she suddenly opened her brilliant gray eyes and said, "Can I keep him?" Kiba didn't answer, which made her prone to bite her bottom lip and widen her eyes, "Please, Kiba? Can I keep Akamaru?"

Only feeling jealous, he muttered, "Sure. He can be your pillow." Looking away, he felt her questioning gaze on him, and began to pet Talon, who had fallen asleep in his lap. A small hand suddenly cupped over his face, making his eyes useless at the moment, "You're jealous, aren't you?" A small voice, although laughter followed it, asked him.

"No," he muttered, feeling a growl breed in his throat. "Aww," she murmured, and he could imagine her eyes glinting with happiness inside of them. "Are you jealous of Akamaru, Kiba? Do _you_ want to be my pillow?" Slowly, Kiba lifted Neko's hand off of his eyes, and said, "I'm not jealous. He'd be a better pillow for you anyway."

He could almost feel the confusion that Neko felt, and she whispered, "Kiba…" Her face suddenly appeared in front of his, and he asked, "Yeah?" She was silent for a moment, but continued, "What's wrong?" Talon jumped off of him, giving Neko an almost knowing look, and sat on top of Akamaru's head.

Kiba stared at her eyes for a moment, and wondered, _"What's up with her? It's like… she's frozen."_ Suddenly, though, she looked behind him and motioned to something behind him. Before he could blink, he realized that Akamaru had taken a seat right behind the two of them. Automatically, he leaned back, crossing his legs, and placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes.

They shot back open in a moment, when Neko sat herself in his lap. He stared down at her, meeting her almost-guarded gaze. "What?" She asked, her eyes wide. "Nothing," he muttered, closing his eyes again. Kiba felt a small tap on his left bicep, and opened one eye to see that she had laid her head on him. "Kiba," she whispered. "Hmm?" "…You're the best pillow ever."

**Neko's POV**

Neko felt Kiba's heartbeat speed up as she said that, because mainly, she _knew_ he was jealous. He got jealous so easily, and it was fun to kind of mess with him a little. _"It's cute when he gets like that," _She thought.

They sat like that, for only a moment, until he whispered, "C'mon… I'm gonna go tell everyone that we're engaged." _Engaged. _That word brought only happiness to her, and she jumped up, "I'm gonna go with you!" His eyebrows creased, "Huh… fine." He lifted her up and murmured, "Since you insist… we're gonna go to my place first, and then… we'll go tell Shik and Temari."

Neko felt almost numb as Akamaru stood up, allowing Neko to sit on his back and Talon to sit on her shoulder, and Kiba walked over to pick up the picnic basket. Once he had come back, he jumped onto Akamaru behind her, his shadow making her ring shine. Neko took a moment to look at it, but then, she looked up at him, "Kiba… I love you." Kiba looked down at her, and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on hers, "I love you, too."

As he said that, the two and their animals raced off toward Kiba's house. Neko felt like she was in ecstasy the whole way there, and didn't even notice that they were moving half the time. _"His wife… my husband…"_ Those four words were enough to make her take hold of her necklace, and she smiled. It was a great feeling, knowing that he loved her enough to make her his forever.

Kiba must have seen it, though, because he took hold of her hand that was holding her necklace. Neither of them said anything until they arrived at Kiba's place, and Neko jumped off of Akamaru, feeling happier than she had ever felt before. Before they walked in, he pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you… so much." He kissed her for a moment, and she hugged him tightly, "I love you more."

Neko felt his finger poke her nose as he turned away, smirking, "We're _not_ having this fight again, baby." "You're just mad that you lost!" "I _let_ you win!" "Liar!" "No!" "Yeah!" Kiba opened the door, and Neko watched as Kuromaru came up to her and licked her hand; over recent years, the dog had gotten used to her frequent comings and goings, hence beginning to like her.

Hana walked around the corner as soon as Kiba began putting the picnic basket away. "Oh… hey Kiba and Neko!" Kiba's face was lit up, "Hana, can you go and get mom? We have to tell you something." Realizing that this must be important, she raced out of the room and came back with Tsume. "Ok… tell us." Hana looked interested, and Kiba took a deep breath, holding up her hand, "We're engaged."

Their initial reaction was shock, and then Tsume looked up at the two of them, nothing but tears of joy on her face, "I'm so… so… proud." Hana threw her arms around Neko, making her almost choke, "So… you're gonna be my sister-in-law, huh? Well, it looks like we'll be having some catching up to do." Tsume looked at Kiba and sighed, "So, _this_ is why you've been going on so many extra missions these days; to get money to buy her a ring."

Neko held it out to Tsume, and her eyes sparkled, "He has good taste, doesn't he?" Kiba sighed, "Yeah… I know I do, but we have lots of other people that we have to tell." He took her hand and dragged Neko out of the house, not waiting for a response. They ran over to Shikamaru's house, and Neko looked up at him, "Why'd you run away so fast?"

He looked down at her, "I hate seeing them in tears, honestly. No matter what kind, I'll always hate it." "Aww," she sighed. "You really care about your family, don't you?" He didn't answer as they neared Shikamaru's house, and Neko let them in. Shikamaru was lying on the floor, and Neko asked, "Where's Temari?" But his eyes shot open and he hissed, "Shh! She's asleep, and she'll _kill_ me if I make _any_ noise!"

Kiba snorted, but Neko sighed, "We have important news, Shika!" His bored-looking eyes turned confused, "I'll tell Temari when she wakes up… what is it?" Neko glanced at Kiba to find him smiling at her, and she held out her hand, "We're engaged…" Shikamaru was silent for a moment, and he looked up at Kiba, "You're gonna take care of her, right?"

He nodded, "Always." Shikamaru just sighed, "Ok then. But… I suggest that you stay here, Neko. I heard that the cherry blossom trees around here are in their molting season… and I _know_ how allergic you are." Neko sighed, "Yeah, ok." Kiba kissed her on the cheek, "We'll tell everyone about us later, ok baby?"

Neko could do nothing but nod as he smiled and rubbed his forehead against hers lovingly, and murmured, "I love you." "I love you, too," she replied, letting herself place her lips on his for no more than a second, and he walked out of the house with Akamaru next to him. Talon ran up to their room, and Shikamaru warned, "Be quiet when you go by Temari and I's room. She might come out swinging."

She nodded, and followed Talon, quietly, up to their room. Once inside, she took time to undress into her pajamas, and take off her necklace, and admire her ring. "Talon," she whispered. "It's beautiful." Talon just mewed inaudibly, and fell asleep almost instantaneously. Neko sighed and fell back, almost being able to _feel_ Kiba's heartbeat against her ear, and fell into an undisturbed sleep.

**Kiba's POV**

He ran back to his house with Akamaru in tow, feeling on top of the world. _"I did it… and… she's mine. I didn't know ANYTHING could feel this great…"_ Once they had reached his house for the second time that day, everything was as if nothing had happened. Hana was watching T.V. and Tsume was washing dishes. He was about to disperse upstairs, but Tsume called him into the kitchen, "Kiba, come here for a second."

Curious, he ran to the kitchen, only to be engulfed in a hug. Akamaru sat patiently at the door, as time froze for a moment. "I'm glad you're happy, Kiba." Tsume said, as she pulled away. Kiba sat in silence, wondering what to do, but she smirked, "That's all I wanted. You can go to bed, now."

He began to walk away, but he turned back, "I love you, mom." Without waiting for an answer, he fled up the stairs and threw himself onto his bed. "Akamaru," he whispered to the dog that had just walked into his room and shut the door. "I love her… so much. I can't wait until she's officially mine." Akamaru just whined, _"What about those kids she was asking about? Are you going to be ready for that?"_

Kiba felt only a blush settle into his cheeks as he murmured, "Oh… uh… I can't wait. I just…" He paused there for a moment, but then continued, feeling his eyes begin to close, "I just hope they have her eyes."

Yeah… :) Aww. Anyway, sorry if this chapter seemed a little half-assed, because it's almost 5 in the morning and I'm dying here! Sitting here for four hours trying to think up stuff for this chapter! I'm not usually one for taking breaks, so I pushed myself into finishing this one! Rate/Review!:)


	47. The Wedding!

_Flashback:_

_Kiba felt only a blush settle into his cheeks as he murmured, "Oh… uh… I can't wait. I just…" He paused there for a moment, but then continued, feeling his eyes begin to close, "I just hope they have her eyes."_

Chapter 47: The Wedding

**Neko's POV**

"Temari… where's Hinata?" Neko was kind of nervous. She didn't know what to do; today was the day of the wedding, and to be honest, she was a little nervous. The six months they had been engaged had been filled with nothing but planning on Neko's part, and she wouldn't let Kiba help except with opinions, such as 'do you like red or purple better?'

Their colors were going to be black and white, to keep it simple, but just about all of Konoha was invited. Neko had a few select bridesmaids, and she was happy with that as well. Temari looked at her from fixing her hair into a better four-tailed braid than normal, "She's in the bathroom. Geez, Neko… you'd think that you were having a baby or something!" Neko blushed, "Please don't talk about babies, Temari."

Temari's stomach had swollen, obviously, and Shikamaru had said that it would be just about any day now that their kid could be born. Any day meaning probably a couple of weeks. Also, when she could get a spare moment, all Neko could think about was what could happen _after_ the wedding. Of course, Temari noticed this, and began to talk, "Oh… nervous… I get it. Shika was nervous too, and I had to make the first moves before we-"

Ino suddenly came out from the back, saving Neko from hearing something that would make her embarrassed, wearing the bridesmaid dress that everyone had approved of and loved, squealing, "I _love_ this dress!" Sakura came out with her, a smile on her face, "I think it makes my hair pop!" It was primarily white, with a black bow, and went down to all of the girls kneecaps. It had black polka dots, starting very discreet, but then they became more noticeable at the bottom. Temari rolled her eyes, "Shush you two. Don't make Neko nervous before the wedding. Am I right?"

Neko was standing on a stool so when Temari was ready, she could help her with her dress. It was traditionally white, and had see-through sleeves with lace all over. The bottom part was half-satin and half-lace. She had tried it on and automatically thought of her and Kiba; lace and satin are almost complete opposites of each other. Also, she decided to go shoeless, because the day that they had set off for their first picnic, she told him that she would probably go barefoot to her wedding, and she thought she had heard Kiba say that he'd let her. So… she was going to put that to the test.

The engagement ring was glittering like nothing else, and sometimes Neko felt hypnotized by it. Temari had finished with her own hair, and began to curl Neko's like she normally did. Unlike many people, Neko didn't want to overdo it on her wedding day. She, honestly, thought it was kind of stupid to spend millions of dollars on something that will last a day at most.

Hinata came out from the back, being her Maid of Honor, and smiled, putting what Neko called the 'Maid of Honor' bow in her hair. It was just a plain, white bow, to put it simply. "Neko, today's your big day! How do you feel?" Hinata was smiling wider than she had ever seen, and she sighed, "I feel… great."

But before anything else could be said or done, Hana walked into the room. She was wearing the dress as well, and her tattoo on her arm was showing, and once she laid eyes on Neko, her mouth dropped open, "My brother is going to _love_ you! And…" Talon was in her arms as she continued, "I bought a little bow for Talon!"

Neko could hardly contain a giggle as she spotted a white bow on Talon's head. Talon's tail was flicking furiously, and Tenten walked into the room, her hair down and the dress on. "Damn," she laughed when she saw the cat. "She looks angry." Neko laughed as she took Talon from Hana, "Yeah, she is. She isn't into dressing up. Although, I'm sure that _Akamaru_ would be glad to see that she changed her style."

Talon stopped flicking her tail and looked thoughtful for a moment, but lashed out at Neko when she tried to rub her nose on her head. Knowing that this was a warning sign, Neko put her down and Temari began to fiddle with the back strings of her dress. "This was a lot simpler than I thought it would be," she muttered as she tightened the dress, making Neko squeak.

"A little tight there, Temari," she tried to say, but Temari just laughed, "It makes your boobs look bigger." All the girls present began to laugh, and Neko felt nothing but a blush on her cheeks. _"I wonder if Kiba's doing alright. He cleans up nicely, but… not with all of the groomsmen he's got…"_

**Kiba's POV**

Kiba was tightening his tie at the moment, and judging his appearance in the mirror next to Naruto. "Do you think that Neko would like my hair the way it is? Or should I brush it and straighten it so that it'll look tamable?" Naruto glared at him for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day, "She'll like you whatever you do! I say, it doesn't fucking matter!"

All he could do was snort, and glance to his left. Akamaru was lying down next to them, and Kiba had to admit, he looked great. To his protest, Akamaru had been forced to wear a tuxedo top and a tie, and Kiba had to say… Akamaru looked like a human.

A loud banging was heard at the door, "Damn it, guys! Get the hell out of there! We're all waiting to check ourselves!" Kiba recognized Shikamaru's agitated voice, and yelled back, "We'll be out in a minute!" Naruto was patting his own hair, and Kiba muttered, "Thanks, man. I mean… thanks for being my best man and everything. It means a lot to me, you know?"

Naruto smirked, "Ah, Kiba… don't get all emotional _now_; you have to save some of those tears for Neko as she's walking down the aisle!" Kiba felt himself tense up for a moment; was he actually going to _cry_ when he saw her? _"No,"_ he smirked. _"I don't cry."_

The two of them walked out of the bathroom to see that it was surprisingly quiet; he had invited every guy he knew personally to be his groomsmen. Sai was straightening his own tux, and smiling the whole way, Shikamaru and Choji were sitting in chairs eating chips and Neji glaring around the room. Lee was fiddling with his tie so much that he threw it across the room angrily, Shino was messing with his hair, Ryu was messing with his collar, and Gaara and Kankuro, who were visiting from Suna, were having one of their brotherly fights over whose tie looked better.

Shikamaru was the first to approach the pair, "The wedding actually begins in about an hour. And since I have the part of 'Neko's father'… I suppose I'll just wish you good luck." Kiba shook hands with him, "Thanks. And," he added, smiling softly and feeling a blush light up his cheeks. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

All that Shikamaru could do at the moment was smirk, "I thought so." Naruto had gone over to help Lee with his tie, and once he was done, addressed the whole room, "Ok… so… let's get this thing on! And Kiba," Naruto was looking at him with a smirk on his face, "Don't. Fuck. Up."

That was all it took to make Kiba nervous, and he sighed, "I _won't_, Naruto." Lee was jumping up and down, and he pumped his fist, "Let us get to the church! We won't want to be late!" All of the guys, after double checking their appearances, headed out to the church happily.

As they walked there, many people stopped to stare, and he felt proud as he walked next to Akamaru. The dog looked up at him and barked, _"I bet you're wondering how revealing her dress is."_ Kiba glared at him, "Why the hell would I do that? Honestly… I don't care. She's mine and that's all that matters." Akamaru shrugged, _"You sure? Because her eyes may not be the only things you're staring at…"_

Before Kiba could explode with an answer, Neji was looking back at him, "Is your _dog_ teasing you, Kiba?" He froze, mortified that some of the others were listening to their conversation, "Yeah, he is. Just trying to make me nervous." Neji looked like he didn't believe him, but he turned forward and kept walking along.

They finally reached the church, and one of the ushers was waiting for them, "You guys are just in time. Everyone is sitting in there, and your job is to walk to the front of the building, ok?" All of the guys nodded; simple enough. However, Shikamaru stood off to the side, "I know it's gonna be a drag, standing there for… half past forever, but I have to sit here and wait for Neko. Good luck."

The guys muttered their good-luck to Shikamaru, and the doors swung open. Kiba was taken aback at how many people were in there. Obviously, the first two rows of seats from both sides were reserved for both Neko and his family, and all eyes turned to look back at them. _"Damn,"_ Kiba swore. _"I didn't think… the whole VILLAGE would be here."_

He wasn't exaggerating, either. Even Lady Tsunade could be seen in the crowd with Shizune and Tonton. Once it was their turn, Kiba and Akamaru walked down the aisle, and felt all of the heartwarming stares on him. He smiled, _"Heh… maybe this isn't so bad."_ Once they reached the end of the pews, he passed Tsume, and she was already crying. He took his place at the top of the stairs, next to Naruto, and he heard Naruto's whispered laugh, "I've got tissues for when you start crying."

Kiba just snorted softly, "I won't need them." Naruto was about to talk back, but the girls began to walk in, and all fell silent once again, Kiba feeling anticipation as he waited.

**Neko's POV**

The girls looked at the clock, Ino sighing, "We're gonna be _late,_ ladies!" Sakura growled, "Hold on! I gotta make sure my hair is ok!" The dressing room was in a frenzy; all of the girls were pretty much distraught at what the guys they had in mind would think of them, but Neko was different. She knew that no matter what she looked like when she walked down that aisle, he would still love her.

Once all of the girls had figured out exactly what was happening, they all made sure that Neko's dress was perfect as well as their own, and began to set out. "I hope none of the boys see us," muttered Hinata. "I'll gouge out their eyes if they do," growled Temari. They were walking in a protective circle around Neko just in case someone saw them, and they reached the church without conflict.

They all walked in, the girls lining up and grabbing their bouquets at the table, and the usher nodded to them all. The first person Neko saw was Shikamaru, and he looked like he just wanted to sleep at the moment. "Shika," she whispered, taking a moment to hug him. "Hey, Neko," he laughed. "And Talon," he glanced at the bow-wearing cat, and took a moment to laugh at her, earning a vengeful look.

The doors opened, and Neko watched the girls eyes widen in surprise, _"There must be like a million people in there, if even TEMARI and TENTEN are in shock…"_ All of the girls disappeared from sight, with Hinata being the last out, giving her a 'good-luck' look, and the doors shut again.

Shikamaru and her were left in total silence, and the entire atmosphere suddenly got intense, as if she was going into battle, or on a very important mission, and was about to face a life-or-death situation. Shikamaru, though, took a moment to look her over, "You look nice, Neko, but… is it a little tight around the chest area or something?" Neko sighed, "Temari did it… don't worry about it, Shika. She wanted me to look… bigger… in some places…"

She watched as he face palmed after handing her the bouquet that she was going to carry; it had purple and white roses, and even though it didn't go with her color scheme theme, it had caught her eyes right away. "It's gonna be troublesome… I'm gonna miss the old, single you." "That's something, coming from _you_, Shika."

He sighed, "Yeah, I know, but… fathers are supposed to have those things they say to their daughters right before they walk down the aisle… and… what I'm gonna say to you is…" The doors swung open as he muttered, "Dammit." But he raised his voice to where only she could hear him, "Love him as much as he loves you... and he loves you more than his own life." The music began to play, and they took the first step into the crowded room.

**Kiba's POV**

He and Naruto stood side by side as all of the girls spilled out from the door. _"Dammit,"_ he thought. _"The suspension is killing me…"_ Naruto tensed as Hinata was the last to come out, and Kiba smirked as he whispered, "I bet you're gonna need some of those tissues, huh?" It must have taken all of Naruto's energy as he growled, "Shut up, dog boy."

Akamaru was by his side, and he looked at him. Akamaru looked almost pained, and Kiba whispered, "You can't wait to see Talon, can you?" He looked up at him, and growled softly, _"Shut up… it's almost no different than your anxiety to see Neko!"_ That _did_ shut Kiba up, and they waited in silence for no more than five minutes, and music started, making Kiba's head shoot up.

The moment they stepped out of the door, he heard an audible collective "Aww," come from the audience, and that made Neko look down at the ground, not allowing Kiba to make eye contact with her.

She and Shikamaru were walking hand in hand down the aisle, and Kiba willed Neko to look up. When she did, their eyes met instantly, and Kiba felt a smile light his face, and his right foot move. "Stay," Naruto hissed, a smirk on his face. "Bad dog. Stay." Normally, Kiba would have rewarded Naruto with a slap on the head, but he could barely hear him over his beating heart. _"Love is the best feeling ever,"_ He thought.

**Neko's POV**

She heard people 'aww'ing at her, and she felt a blush light up her cheeks. Shikamaru held her hand tighter, and Talon dug her claws into her skin lightly. They hadn't even gotten a quarter of the way to the alter, and she looked up to the lights that were shining.

Automatically, her eyes were _drawn_ to Kiba, and she felt almost weak at how great he looked. Neko watched as he took a step toward her, and Naruto started whispering to him. _"Aww… he's like a little puppy! So anxious."_ They were halfway there, and Neko could almost feel Kiba's heartbeat when he got nervous pounding against her face, since she leaned her head on his chest often.

As she searched his eyes longer, he looked even more longing than Neko had ever seen, and he smiled ever so softly at her. Neko could only tear her eyes away from him for a moment, and spotted Ryu among one of his many groomsmen. Neko felt her heart jump, and her eyes shot back to Kiba. They were approaching the alter now, and Naruto was almost laughing. All of the other guys, though, had pretty good poker faces. Akamaru had a tuxedo on, and Neko almost burst out laughing, feeling her shoulders bob up and down for a moment, restraining herself.

Hinata was looking at her, and when they locked eyes, they gave each other happy smiles. Once she and Shikamaru had finally reached the alter, Kiba was allowed to step down to take her hand, and Shikamaru said, "She's all yours, kid." Kiba just smirked and said, "She always will be." Neko walked up the three stairs to the alter, and stared down at the red carpet for a moment, until Kiba touched her chin and she looked up, "You look beautiful," he whispered.

**Kiba's POV**

He heard himself say that to her, and watched as her eyes became big and she whispered, "Thank you… not so bad yourself. You clean up nice, _dog."_ He seethed for a moment, but he wanted nothing other than to just kiss her right at that moment. _"This is worse than the feeling I got when we were training… worse than the feeling that I got when I was with her at the first picnic… before I told her I loved her."_

Before his ego kicked in and told him to kiss her, the pastor walked in between the two, and that's when the long ceremony started.

**Neko's POV**

It was almost at the two hour mark of the wedding, and Neko had to admit that she was _tired._ _"I wonder how I'm going to be able to pull off dancing,"_ she asked herself. They had already received their rings, courtesy of Konohamaru. Hers was absolutely beautiful; silver, just like her engagement ring, and it had three different bands, all with diamonds on it. _"I wonder how he got all of the money to buy me it… I bought his with my extra savings, and I went on fifteen missions every day to earn enough money for his in a WEEK, and his has NO diamonds!"_

Kiba's ring was titanium and silver. When she saw it, she didn't know why, but it had reminded her of him. She saw the delight and happiness on his face when it was presented to him. However, it still seemed as though he was off.

She could tell that Kiba was having a tough time paying attention, and Neko knew why; the upcoming kiss.

Involuntarily, she smiled. _"Stupid dog… he has a one track mind, and it seems like it's always me."_ When she smiled, Kiba moved for a moment, but seemed to force himself to stop. The pastor kept talking asking them to repeat things for him for like, the five thousandth time, and once that was over, he smiled as well.

**Kiba's POV**

He couldn't take his eyes off of Neko the entire time. It was as if she was some sort of magnet, and he was metal. _"I almost missed a few lines… that would have been a fail, and she probably would have kicked my ass."_ Kiba was almost completely submerged in his feelings, when he saw the pastor, out of the corner of his eye, smile.

That caught his attention, and the pastor turned to him:

"Kiba Inuzuka… do you take Neko Inari to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and do you promise to be faithful to her until death do you part?" He felt shivers run through his body as he murmured, "I do."

He watched as Neko's eyes widened in almost happiness, and he suppressed the urge to kiss her yet again, for the five hundredth time that day.

**Neko's POV**

She heard Kiba say his vow, and she felt nothing but pure joy. The pastor then turned to her and asked:

"Neko Inari… do you take Kiba Inuzuka to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and do you promise to be faithful to him until death do you part?"

Neko sighed, "I do." She couldn't help but notice that Kiba almost shivered, and his face erupted into a gigantic smile. The pastor looked happy as he smiled, "I now pronounce you husband and wife… you may kiss the bride." Neko noticed he took no more than a second to scoop her into his arms, lifting her off of the ground briefly, and their lips met, making the whole church erupt in cheering.

The cheers of everyone was one of the last things on her mind, though; Kiba's kiss was a lot more possessive than normal, and it lasted longer than normal as well. Neko couldn't complain, though, and she felt him smile through the kiss, making her smile in turn.

**Kiba's POV**

He had never felt the need to kiss her stronger than that _ever,_ and he felt her lips meet his like cold water to a burning house. He heard Naruto snort next to him, and felt Neko drop her bouquet. Suddenly, Akamaru jumped up, Talon next to him. He smirked; if there was one thing the two of them had planned, it was this.

Kiba lifted Neko off of her feet, placing onto Akamaru's back, and before she could ask what the hell was going on, Kiba jumped on behind her and they took off, grabbing Talon at the last second and handing her to Neko.

The audience was gawking in awe, and Neko slapped him as soon as they had escaped the church. "Damn it, Kiba! Scare the hell out of me and take off running? What the hell do you think you're-" But he cut her off as he began to kiss her cheek, and when she turned her head, her lips. He pulled away a second before the bridesmaids and the groomsmen came out of the church in a frenzy.

Naruto was raging, "Dammit! You can't ride off into the sunset _yet!_ We've still got a party to go to!" Neko slapped him again, "You're right, Naruto." Akamaru barked up at him, _"Idiot. I can't believe you made me do that."_ Kiba growled, "Shh." Shikamaru walked out of the church, "Yeah… guys… we're going to my place… and… apparently Lady Tsunade wants to go as well."

Lady Tsunade walked out from behind him, and pumped her fist, "Let's get this party started! And," she smiled at the newlyweds, "I have a special… present… for you two." Ryu, showing his impulsive side, "Let's go, everyone!" He began to run, and Kiba growled, "Hell no you don't!" Easily overtaking him, he raced to the 'finish', and was beaten by Shikamaru, "Nice try, Inuzuka."

Kiba smirked, "Which one?"

**Neko's POV**

The emotion she felt the moment after he had asked Shikamaru which Inuzuka he was talking about is unexplainable. It only made it feel… official that they were married, and the thought of it was going to take a while to get used to.

He helped her and Talon off of Akamaru, and they proceeded inside to see that it was completely rearranged so that it was a _huge_ party space, complete with everything you could ever wish for in the ultimate party. "Damn," she heard Kiba say. "How the hell did you do all this… in like… three hours?"

Shikamaru just sighed, smirking, "We're ninja… aren't we?" As he said that, Talon jumped off of Neko's shoulder and began scratching at the door, signaling that they had company. Neko leaned into Kiba by accident, but he grabbed her by her waist, "Is your dress a little… tight, baby?" He asked, seeming kind of worried.

Neko sighed, "It was… Temari." Shikamaru had opened the door, and Neko could have sworn that there were at _least_ three hundred people outside. _"How the hell is THIS gonna work?"_ But before she had time to worry, Kiba planted his lips on hers, "I love you, baby," he sighed during the kiss, and she slapped him, making him recoil, "Sit." She ordered.

Kiba tried to protest, but she put on her best angry face, and he just smiled softly, and kissed her again, and even though five minutes had passed, and people were all around them, music blaring… she couldn't hear _anything._

YES! Hah, SUCCESS! EXCELLENT! Yeah, I think this is definitely one of my best works yet. Mhm. Well, I think it's pretty cute :D Sorry if I got some of the things in the wedding wrong… D: I'm only 14, so I guess I'm not really supposed to know much about that kind of shit yet. That was some of the most research for a chapter I've _ever_ done. Don't forget to Rate/Review :D


	48. The Honeymoon!

_Flashback:_

_Kiba tried to protest, but she put on her best angry face, and he just smiled softly, and kissed her again, and even though five minutes had passed, and people were all around them, music blaring… she couldn't hear anything._

Chapter 48: The "Honeymoon"!

**Neko's POV**

She and Kiba were helping Shikamaru clean up after the party. It was fun and insane, mainly because it was hard getting used to the fact that she and Kiba were married now, and that the presents that they had gotten were out of their league. Normally, it was cute little stuff, by Lady Tsunade had taken it to a whole new level. She had bought them a house. Close to the park, too.

Even more so, she had told the two of them that it was fully furnished, and they would enjoy it, being a new couple, and they'd probably want to live with just each other, and so they were suggested that they should have their honeymoon there. It was a cute idea, so Neko agreed, and Kiba agreed as well. They were going to pack up that night, after they helped poor Shikamaru with the huge ass mess.

The dance was fun, and Kiba got jealous every time someone asked to dance with her. She accepted every single one, mainly because the people who asked were close friends of hers, and every time she went back to Kiba, he'd look at her with a jealous face. But she managed to make him happy again by kissing him, and it was as if he automatically bounced back.

"Dammit," Shikamaru cursed. "Naruto is an idiot. He should have known better to bring sake. Lee could have destroyed this place!" Neko nodded, agreeing. Lee had gotten hyped up on sake, and Lee had just lost it. However, they had gotten him detained, courtesy of Kakashi, and had been carried home and put to bed.

The cleanup took almost three hours, and it was just past eight. "Well, I suggest that you two go take a look at your new house… huh?" Shikamaru was smirking at the two of them, and Kiba had suddenly appeared beside her. "You sure you've got it, Shik?" He asked, and all he did in return was nod, and Kiba took her hand. "Let's go, baby."

They walked out of Shikamaru's house, and Kiba lifted her onto Akamaru. Talon had found a comfortable spot on Kiba's shoulder. "Where'd Tsunade say it was?" He asked. Neko slapped him for what seemed like the millionth time that night, "You've forgotten already? The gray-purple colored one right off of the park!"

He rubbed his cheek, "Sorry." They raced through the darkened streets, and once they arrived, the first thing that caught her eyes was the flowers. "I can't believe Lady Tsunade would do something like this for us…" She sighed. Kiba took her hand and sighed, "She said that we're one of those couples that come around once in a lifetime, right? Maybe that's why…"

Neko slapped him, "Psh." He growled, "Why'd you slap me _this_ time?" Neko smirked at him and ran into their house. It was _completely_ furnished, complete with gray couches, and beautiful book cases. Neko gawked for a moment in disbelief, and Kiba walked in behind her, grabbing her waist, but stopped when he took in the room for the first time as well. Talon had already made a beeline for the stairs, and Neko followed her.

Upstairs, the first room was a closet, and it was _huge._ After running down to the end of the hallway, she turned into the master bedroom, and noticed that it was nothing but amazing. There was a small fountain connected to the wall, and Neko smiled, feeling on top of the world. _"It's absolutely beautiful… how could we EVER pay Lady Tsunade back…?"_ As she was thinking this, Kiba approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, "It's getting pretty late, baby… I'll go get some of your clothes for you." She slapped him again, and he grabbed her by the waist, his eyes blazing, _"That's it."_

Neko was honestly kind of terrified; the last time that he had said those words to her in that manner was when he was pissed off at her, back on that mission. He threw her onto the bed that they had been standing near, and was on top of her in a heartbeat. "Why do you keep slapping me?" He whimpered, sounding depressed.

She kissed him on the cheek, feeling his eyes widen, and leaned back down, "I dunno." She whispered. His eyes suddenly became almost tired, because they narrowed and looked into her eyes very deeply. His tie was lying on her stomach, and she began to play with it, which made Kiba's eyes begin to close even more. "Baby," he whispered. "I'm gonna go get our stuff. Ok? I have something I want to ask you about when I get back, ok?"

Before she could say anything, he got off of her, straightening his suit for a moment, and began to walk out of the room. Neko launched herself from the bed and held onto his arm, "What is it about?" Kiba looked down at her calmly, and laid his hand on her bare shoulder, something that Neko hadn't ever known for him to do, and whispered, "I'll talk to you when I get back. Bye, baby." He kissed her on the lips, for only a moment, and left the room, leaving Neko to sit down on the bed and wait for him.

Talon seemed to be content, taking her place on a pillow, and Neko just began to smooth her dress as she thought of all the possible things he could ask her about.

**Kiba's POV**

He raced out of their new house, running to Shikamaru's house, with Akamaru at his heels. He barked up to him, _"What'd you want to ask her about? She seemed nervous."_ Kiba glanced at the dog, "Oh… uh… nothing really…" But Akamaru gave him a small dog-like smirk, _"I know what it is. Mating, huh?"_

Kiba felt his cheeks redden, "Shut up." Akamaru snorted, but didn't say anything more. They reached Shikamaru's house, Kiba feeling nothing but slight embarrassment, and knocked on the door. Shikamaru answered, looking unusually rested, and said, "Hey, Kiba. Whatcha need?"

"Nothing, man, just getting some of Neko's stuff." But Shikamaru's eyebrows rose, "Too late. Lady Tsunade sent the ANBU to get them for you, and they got here like five seconds ago. Knowing them, I bet they're already gone. I bet they went to your house as well."

"_Dammit. That speeds up what I've got to talk to Neko about."_ He bit his lip and nodded, "Ok. Thanks, Shik." Kiba turned to leave, but Shikamaru grabbed his sleeve. "I know exactly what you're nervous about, and I'm just going to tell you not to go all out on her. She's pretty… how do I say this… fragile, I guess."

Kiba's eyes widened and he felt more embarrassment, "Ok. Thanks." Saving himself from any more shame, he jumped onto Akamaru and raced back to their house. Once inside, he ran up the stairs to find that all of their clothes and personal items such as books were in the room. Her sword was on her side of the bed, waiting to be hung up, Kiba noticed. Neko was unpacking things and she turned to him, her wedding dress spewing behind her as she knelt down, "The ANBU came by and dropped everything off! I guess that makes things a bit easier for you!"

She smiled at him, and it made Kiba's heart stop for a moment. Then, he walked toward her and dropped down next to her, silently helping her put everything away. _"I hate not talking to her,"_ he whimpered to himself. Glancing at her every few seconds, he could tell that she was nothing but happy.

"Baby," he suddenly whispered. Neko looked over at him, a smile present on her face, "Yes, Kiba?" He couldn't help but notice he was wearing their necklace, and he couldn't reach his because it was below his collar. "Uh… the thing that I have to talk to you about… it's not that easy…"

**Neko's POV**

"_I wonder why he's so… jumpy. Must be important."_ Neko felt his body tense up as she asked, "It's ok, Kiba! You can ask me or tell me anything." She added a smile into it, which made his eyebrows crease. "Um… ok. I was… I was just wondering… since we're married now, and everything… I wanted to know if you wanted to… you know…"

Almost immediately, Neko knew what he was talking about, and she scooted closer, feeling her eyes widen, "You… want to?" Kiba's eyes changed to almost guarded as he whispered, "Um… I wouldn't mind or anything, but…" She immediately put her hand on his shoulder, "I would love to… with you…" He smiled softly, but it turned a bit broad after a moment, "Right now?" She felt her heartbeat speed up and she whispered, "I dunno…"

His eyes became disheartened as he took her hand from his shoulder, "I _promise_ I won't do anything stupid… and I'll be gentle. If you tell me to stop… I'll stop, baby. I won't make you do anything that you don't want to do… I promise." Neko stood up, making him stand up as well, and said, "As long as we get to cuddle afterwards." Kiba snorted, "Did you think you had a choice?" With that, he attacked her, kissing her roughly.

**Naruto's POV**

"_I'm gonna go see what Neko and Kiba's new house looks like! Believe it!"_ He had said goodbye to Hinata, and was on his way there. Not wasting any time, he ran there, and walked right in. Akamaru and Talon were both sitting on the stairs, looking kind of confused.

Before Naruto could yell, though, a small laugh interrupted him. "Guys?" He asked. Akamaru pounced on his leg and growled. "Guess they're busy, huh? I wonder what it is that they could be…" But a very low, menacing growl could be heard from upstairs. Naruto got curious and began to walk upstairs, but heard Kiba's commanding voice, "Get over here, baby."

Neko's soft cry of "No…" could be heard only seconds before she screamed suddenly, and then she moaned, "I thought you said you'd be gentle…" Naruto's eyes widened, and Kiba's voice could be heard as he growled, sounding almost evil, "I never said I wouldn't be a _bit_ rough." Neko's laugh pierced Naruto, and he began to walk back out of the door, muttering, "If the van's rocking… don't come knocking. Believe it."

Oh, Naruto… curiosity gets the best of us, huh? Well, anyhow… D: Only two more chapters left! I PROMISE these two are gonna be the awesome conclusion that you all have been waiting for! I really enjoyed this. :P Rate/Review!


	49. Dodging The Truth

_Flashback:_

_Neko's laugh pierced Naruto, and he began to walk back out of the door, muttering, "If the van's rocking… don't come knocking. Believe it."_

Chapter 49: Dodging the Truth

**Neko's POV**

It had been a month after their wedding, and they were settling into their new home very comfortably. After the course of about a week, they had completely settled in with all of their belongings. Everything had been quite normal, until Neko started to feel different and act different.

She had become extremely temperamental, and sometimes she'd suddenly feel sick or something. Often, she couldn't go out of the house, due to sudden stomach pains and such, and she would also start sweating for no reason. Neko wanted to confront Kiba about this, but she didn't want him to be worried about her.

The feeling had been going on since about two weeks after they moved in, and had progressively gotten worse. Kiba _did_ seem to notice that something was wrong, though, and kept trying to take care of her. It was the start of the fourth week, and she noticed that she had missed her period. _"Am I… pregnant?"_ Neko asked herself, anxiously.

It was all that Neko wanted to know, but before she could do _anything,_ she'd have to somehow sneak away from Kiba. He always wanted to be with her, and was constantly worrying about her.

Walking out of the bathroom for what seemed like the twentieth time that day because she got sick. Neko had brushed her teeth and gone through all lengths to clean her mouth, and walked down the stairs. Kiba was staring at her, and he asked, "Are you ok?" "Fine." She answered. Neko hadn't really been into talking to him lately. She didn't know why, and whenever she did talk to him, she couldn't help but be rude.

Akamaru and Talon had noticed that something was the matter, and kept their distance from her. "I'm gonna go over to Hinata's place, ok?" Neko looked into his eyes, and saw nothing but confusion. "Well… ok." She started out the door, but felt arms around her waist, "Be careful." Automatically, she pulled away and backed out of the door, walking as fast as she could without hurting the potential baby forming in her womb.

She rubbed her stomach and began to walk toward the hospital, thinking, _"Hmm… I just want to know. I wonder if Sakura will check me out."_

**Kiba's POV**

All Kiba ever felt around Neko these days was pain, and he wanted to know why. _"She seems out of it whenever she does something. Yesterday, she was taking a glass from the cabinet, and I walked up to her and she dropped it."_

Akamaru and Talon both seemed confused, but noticed a change in her behavior. Akamaru barked up at him, _"Do you know what's wrong with her?"_ He shook his head, feeling close to nothing. "I wanna know what's wrong with my baby…" he whispered. Kiba suddenly stood up, getting an idea, "Ok… you two, stay here. I'm gonna follow her, because I _know_ she's not going to Hinata's."

With that, Kiba ran out of the door, following her scent. He found her only seconds later, walking somberly down the road, passing Hinata's mansion. At first, it didn't look like she was going anywhere in particular, but she was walking toward the Hokage's office. _"Why is she going to talk to Lady Tsunade? She probably could have told me if that's what she was going to do." _She suddenly stopped and flinched, forcing Kiba to stop himself from running to her. Neko started to run, holding her stomach, toward the Hokage's Office.

Kiba ran inside, and watched her disappear down a hallway that was labeled as 'The Hospital'. His breath caught in his throat. _"What's wrong with her? Why is she keeping secrets from me?"_ Kiba backed up for a moment, and ran blindly through the streets. _"What the hell is wrong? Why is she in the hospital? Why won't she tell me anything?"_

He fell, suddenly, and looked up to see Shikamaru standing there. "Kiba… what's up?" "Hey, Shik." Kiba got up and dusted himself off, feeling his hands shaking. Shikamaru must have noticed, because he said, "Kiba… what's up? You seem… nervous." He just nodded, anxiously, "Yeah… sorry, Shik, but something's wrong with her, and she won't tell me what it is. Hell, she won't tell me _anything._"

Shikamaru froze for a moment, and then asked, "What's wrong with her?" Kiba shook his head, feeling nothing but cold, "I don't know… she's been acting kind of out of it, and she's extremely clumsy. She doesn't like it when I touch her, and she seems like she's almost always sick, especially in the morning. Sometimes she yells for no reason, sometimes she cries for no reason… it's really painful, and she won't even _talk_ to me."

It was as if everything clicked in Shikamaru's eyes, and he asked, "Is she always hungry?" Kiba thought about it, then whispered, "Yeah… but I don't see what that has to do with-" But Shikamaru just continued as if he wasn't even talking, "And… does she often… complain about pain?" Automatically, Kiba sighed, "Not to me… she doesn't tell me _anything._"

All Shikamaru did was smirk, and begin to walk away, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about then, Inuzuka." Kiba growled, "Shik, you bastard! Of _course_ it's something to worry about! What if she's slowly dying?" That made him stop in his tracks, but he turned and smirked a knowing smile, "Look; I _know_ she's not dying. Trust a genius for once, Kiba. She'll probably talk to you later."

With that, he ran through the street, disappearing from sight. Kiba sighed heavily. _"What does he know? Why didn't he tell me? There are just too many questions."_ He ran back to their house, and Akamaru greeted him at the door, _"So… did you find out anything?" _Kiba shook his head, feeling a frown plaster to his face, "No. I wish she'd talk to me."

Talon jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing her head against his. He walked over to one of the couches, "I guess I'll just wait for her to come back, then I'll try to talk to her."

**Neko's POV**

"Are you… are you sure?" Neko was almost in turmoil, for multiple reasons, but mostly because she didn't know how to tell Kiba. Sakura smiled, "Yeah. Even after all of those tests, I can tell just by _looking_ at you that you're pregnant. Your breasts have begun to hurt, haven't they?" Neko's eyes widened; _"How did she know?"_ Sakura just laughed, "Don't worry, it's normal. They'll start to get bigger throughout your pregnancy. You're about four weeks along."

Neko sighed, "I just… I just don't know what I'm going to tell Kiba. He'll be mad that I didn't tell him how I was feeling sooner." All Sakura said was, "Neko… he's gonna love you no matter what, and I doubt he'll be mad. You know him better than most people, and he _can't_ be mad at you, can he?" Neko smiled for a moment, holding her stomach, "No… he can't."

Sakura laughed, "Now… one more question… would you want it to be a girl or a boy?" Neko thought about it for a moment; she didn't really think about it. "A girl," she said, after a moment. "I would love to have a daughter." With that, she walked out of the hospital, holding her stomach, smiling. _"A baby… I can't believe it."_

A huge smile was plastered on her face, and a hand grabbed her arm, "So… is it true?" She looked up to see Shikamaru, and she asked, "What?" He smirked, "Huh… Kiba was worried like nothing else about you. I just want to know if you're actually preg-" Neko automatically punched him, "Shh. Does he _know?"_ Shikamaru smirked, "He has _no_ clue. He thought you were going to die."

Neko couldn't help but smile softly and whisper, "He's always worried about me. I was going to tell him later." He nodded, "Good idea. The kid's going insane. Speaking of kids… Temari sent me out to go pick up food half an hour ago! Shit… bye, Neko. Good luck." He took off, and Neko began walking toward her house, feeling less clumsy than she had been since she had realized how much she was changing.

She walked into her house, making sure to take her hands off of her stomach, and walked in. Kiba was lying on the couch, looking almost bored, but when he saw her, he nearly flew off of the couch and walked toward her. "Hi," he muttered, nervously. "Hi," she responded, using all of her strength not to hold her stomach.

Neko couldn't help but notice that he looked like he wanted to say everything that was on his mind, but was too proud to do so. "…Why'd you go to the hospital?" Kiba finally asked, making Neko's heart stop. "I just had to check something out. I… I'm sorry for telling you that I was going to Hinata's house, I just didn't want you to… to know…"

His eyes became sharp, "Know what?" Neko shook her head, "I can't tell you." Kiba's eyes became almost pissed off and he shrugged, walking away, "Fine." Neko wanted so desperately to tell him what was actually the matter, but it was as if she couldn't. She watched as Akamaru walked over to her, pushing his nose into her hand, telling her that he wanted to be pet. She did, and he whimpered something to her. Talon translated it to something along the lines of 'we know what's wrong. It's ok; Kiba will _never_ stay mad at you for long.'

Neko nodded to the two animals, feeling almost mute, and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass, and it was almost like déjà vu from the day before; Kiba walked into the room and dropped it. "You ok there, baby?" He asked, sounding concerned. Neko didn't bother to turn around as she began to pick up the scattered glass, "Yeah, I'm fine, Kiba."

She heard his footsteps stop behind her, "Tch. Why won't you tell me _anything?_ It's like you're keeping secrets from me." Neko couldn't answer the question _or_ the statement, because what he said was completely true. She couldn't tell him anything, because she was nervous, and she _was _keeping secrets from him.

When she didn't answer him, the tone in the room almost automatically changed. It was as if it suddenly got tense, and he growled, "Talk to me, baby. I wanna know what's wrong. Ok? Just tell me." She turned and saw him with his arms crossed across his chest. All that was in his eyes was pain, and it hit Neko; it hurt to not know what was wrong with her.

Neko sighed, and whispered, "I… um… I'll tell you later." Normally, Kiba probably would have been ok with that and walk away, but today was different. He knelt down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Tell me now," he growled. Neko's instinct kicked in as she pushed him away and slapped him, beginning to back away.

Realizing what she had done would probably make him beyond mad, she ran, trying her hardest not to do anything to hurt the baby, and locked herself in their room. Once inside, she let loose, crying her eyes out. _"I'm so confused!"_ she wailed in her mind. _"Dammit! What do I do? I can't tell him when he's mad at me!"_

**Kiba's POV**

He chased her, at a slow pace, up the stairs. _"Why the hell did she slap me? I didn't do anything… did I? She HAS been extremely sensitive these days, but… what happened just now was different. It was as if there was something else going on other than what's happening now."_

Kiba arrived at their bedroom door, and heard Neko's soft cries from the inside. Instantly, he felt guilty. No matter how sensitive she was, he made her cry. No excuses. "Baby," he heard himself whisper. "I'm sorry." Her muffled reply could be heard, "Go away, Kiba." _Go away._ He felt instant pain at the thought of her not needing him at the moment, and whispered, "Baby… it's ok. Please… I just want to know-" "Leave me alone!" Her voice was rising, and Kiba knew better than to keep asking her questions.

"Sorry," he muttered, before backing away from the door, feeling kind of dizzy and wounded. In his nearly blind, sudden exhaustion, he almost tripped down the stairs. When he walked, stumbling every step, to the bottom, he sat down and put his head in his hands. "Dammit," he growled at himself. Akamaru came up to him and licked his hand.

Kiba looked up and Akamaru whimpered, _"I'm sure there's a reason as to why she's acting this way."_ He nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know. I just… I _need_ to know. I don't know what's wrong, and it's _killing_ me." The dog snorted, _"You're an idiot! Put the pieces together!" _The sentence made him think for a moment, and he shook his head, "There's nothing to put together, boy." Akamaru sighed, but said no more as he lay down at the bottom of the stairs.

Talon, however, suddenly jumped up and ran behind him.

**Neko's POV**

As soon as Kiba was gone, she felt automatically guilty. _"I can't talk to him like this. I can't do it."_ She shook her head, holding her stomach, and felt a sharp pain right in the pit of her stomach. This made Neko flinch, and cry out softly. The pain disappeared in moments, and she stood up on her shaky feet. _"All this drowsiness, all this clumsiness. I'm tired of it."_

Almost silently, she walked out of the door, and at the bottom of the stairs, Kiba was talking to Akamaru, who lay down at the bottom of the stairs next to his feet. His elbows were on his knees, and his face was buried in his hands. He looked just about as upset as she felt, and she desperately wanted to confide in him and tell him how she felt.

Before she could make a decision on what to do, Talon came racing up to her, meowing and telling her that they should go to the park. "Why?" she whispered, trying to keep quiet enough that Kiba didn't see her. He didn't, and Talon told her that she wanted to know what was up with Neko in a place where no one else could overhear.

Neko merely nodded; after telling Talon what's up, maybe she could ask what she should do. They began to walk down the stairs, and Kiba turned to look at her. Neko tripped at the sight of his eyes; they looked pained and confused. It hurt to look at him.

After she and Talon passed him, they walked out of the front door to the park, which was literally in their backyard. Once she got to a comfortable spot, in front of the fountain, she looked into the setting sun and began to tell Talon exactly what was up.

**Kiba's POV**

His heart convulsed at her walking away, and once she left, Kiba stood up and turned to Akamaru, "I'm following her." But the white dog shook his head and whimpered, _"She'll be back."_ Kiba growled, "What if she's not?" Akamaru whistled, _"If she's not back in ten minutes, then we'll go find her."_ Irritated, he reluctantly agreed and sat back down, watching the door like a hawk.

**Neko's POV**

She finished telling Talon the story, and the cat mewed something along the lines of 'tell him while you can; take him here, to the park, and tell him. He's not mad at you, he's scared.' Neko's eyebrow rose, "Why is he scared?" Talon meowed that he thought she was going to die or something. Neko smiled softly, "Sounds about like him. Ok… you've convinced me as well as given me a little courage. Fine, I'll go do it."

The two walked, slowly, back to the purplish-gray house, and Neko held her stomach all of the way there.

**Kiba's POV**

Only about five minutes later, the door opened and Neko stepped back in, with Talon. _"Told you,"_ yawned Akamaru. Her eyes met his, and they were completely different; clearer than they had been in days. "Kiba," she asked. "Huh?" He stood up and walked up to her, and she smiled, "Would you come to the park with me?"

"Of course, baby." He murmured, only wanting to hug her but knowing he couldn't. Akamaru and Talon, who had jumped off of Neko's shoulder, were tailing them as they walked outside. The sun was setting, and everything was turning a yellowish-pink color. They stepped off of the porch and began to walk to the park, when Neko tripped and regained her balance.

Feeling automatic concern, he murmured, "Are you… sure you're ok, baby?" She turned and looked at him, "Yeah. I've just… just been kinda… kinda off. Nothing to worry about." Kiba sighed, "Ok." Neko looked at him, and took his hand, silently. When he looked down at her, she looked up at him with the clearest, most beautiful eyes that he had ever seen.

**Neko's POV**

"_Exactly what am I going to say? I don't want to make it bland… I want to tell him, but… I don't know how. Heh, now I know how HE felt when he asked me to marry him."_ Neko was almost in turmoil, and she held his hand tighter without intending to. He looked down at her, "Is anything… wrong?" "No," she answered, quickly.

Kiba's eyebrows creased for a moment, and his mouth turned into a frown, but when she looked away, he looked away as well. They reached the park, and Neko sat down on a bench near the fountain, Kiba sitting next to her. The two animals were running around the fountain, and Neko realized that she had her hand on her stomach as she sat down.

Thinking fast, she removed it and before she could do anything, he muttered, "I'm sorry I made you cry. I didn't mean to." Neko nodded, "It's ok, Kiba. I'm sorry I cried. All of the pressure just-" _"Dammit."_ His eyes became sharp again, "What pressure?"

Neko sighed, "There's something… that I want to… that I _need_ to tell you." Kiba was attentive, and she whispered, "Well… as you apparently know, I went to the hospital instead of Hinata's house. Sorry for lying to you… I had to find some way that you wouldn't follow me, but you _always_ follow me." She made it sound lighthearted, which made Kiba smile, "I know. Well… what'd you have to tell me?"

She took a deep breath, "I went to Sakura, and… well… she told me something that I've been suspecting for two weeks." His eyes became sharper, more worried than anything else, "Are you hurt or something?" Neko shook her head, "No." Kiba's eyes became puppy-like, "Then what is it?" Neko sighed, "Kiba… I'm… I'm… pregnant."

Kiba's eyes became almost tired, and they narrowed in almost confusion… or disbelief. He was silent for a moment, and that was all Neko needed to doubt her decision to tell him. _"Does he not want me to be?"_ She thought desperately, but she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.

**Kiba's POV**

Every single suggestion that he had thought of was blown out of the water when her sentence registered in his mind. Everything was blank, and all he could think was, _"Really?"_ His arms moved automatically, and he pulled Neko into a hold. _"Not too tight,"_ he warned himself. _"You might hurt the baby."_

Those words, even if not spoken aloud, made him smile. "Baby," he cooed. "Hmm?" She asked, pulling away from him just enough so that she could look into his eyes. "I love you, and I'm so, _so_ proud of you." He placed his lips on hers, softly, and closed his eyes for a moment. He pulled away after a few seconds, and saw Akamaru and Talon looking at them almost excitedly.

Neko was still looking a bit uncertain, and he tilted his head, "What's wrong?" Her eyes met his, and there was no moment prior, and he was quite sure that there would be no moment in the future, that he wished for their child to have her eyes so intensely. They were wide and almost scared as she said, "I dunno what to do…"

Kiba laughed, "I'll help you. I promise. If you need something, I'll get it." Neko laughed, for the first time in what seemed like forever, and then smiled, "Hmm… does this mean that you'll leave me alone for once?" Kiba frowned, "You don't like it when I'm with you?" Neko took her hand and laid her hand on his neck, sending shivers down his spine, and causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up, "I love it when you're with me. I _know_ you're gonna be so clingy."

He couldn't help but snort, "If you don't want me near you, then I'll walk away." "Doubt it," she whispered, before kissing him. They stayed like that for a moment, until she pulled away. Once Neko had pulled away, Kiba wrapped his arm around her body, "No, come here, baby," he whispered, pulling her toward him and kissing her again.

**Neko's POV**

She was so relieved that Kiba was happy about having a baby, and all she wanted was to stay there, making out with him, all night. The sun was beginning to set even more so, and she finally pulled away enough for him to sigh, "Fine."

They spent the next few moments in silence, until Kiba asked softly, "Why didn't you just tell me?" Neko shrugged, "It wouldn't come out. It's like the baby didn't want me to tell you yet." Kiba smiled and placed his hand on her stomach, "So… our baby… is inside of you?" Neko nodded, grabbing their necklace that was inside her shirt.

Kiba leaned in to kiss her cheek, "I love you both." Then, he cautiously lifted up her shirt enough to expose her naval, and kissed it gently. Neko blushed, and leaned her head on top of his shoulder. "We love you, too." She pecked his neck, and he groaned, "Why won't you let me make out with you?"

Neko sighed, "Because, for one, we're in public and you know how I am about that, and two… not in front of the baby." She watched him blush slightly, and he sighed, "I love you… so much."

**Kiba's POV**

"Why do you keep saying you love me?" Neko asked him, seeming happy. "Because, I want you to know." "But… I _do_ know." Kiba sighed, "Then I'll stop." "No!" She said, loudly, and she cupped her hand over her mouth, a slight blush engulfing her face.

Before he could do anything, she asked, "Kiba… on a scale of 1-10… how protective will you be?" Confused, he asked, "Of who?" "Us," she said, glancing down at her stomach as she laid her hand on it. Kiba smiled, "Five hundred." Neko blushed, and he laid his hand over hers, making her blush even more deeply. "I won't let you do _anything_ by yourself. So don't even _think_ about it."

Her head snapped up, "But… you said-" Kiba smirked, "I've changed my mind, baby. What if you're home alone and something happens to you or our baby? I don't want that to happen." Neko seemed to give in, nodding, and he sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Neko looked up at him, "Kiba… I want a daughter." Feeling almost overwhelmed, he said, eyes widening, "I do, too." "Why?" She looked eager, and he sighed, "Because… I want her to look like you." Neko blushed, "Aww… you're so sweet, Kiba." He hugged her, loosely, as to not hurt the baby, "Meh… I can't help it. If it's a girl… I won't be able to say no to her. You might, but I can't."

"Why? Kiba, you're the most 'say no' person that I know." Kiba sighed, "If she looks like you, then I can't. It'd be like saying no to you, and you _know_ how _that_ always turns out." Neko kissed his cheek, "Yeah, I do." Talon jumped on his head, and Akamaru sat next to Neko, letting her rest her arm on him. "Which one do we get them?" Neko suddenly burst out.

Kiba sighed, "Baby, what are you talking about?" But she was looking at him frantically, "A cat or a dog? Which one do we get for them?" The question made Kiba widen his eyes, "Huh. I guess… both?" Neko sighed, "I dunno… that's a lot of work for one kid…"

"Baby… it's _my_ offspring, too. It's won't be too hard for them, having _my_ genes." She snorted, "What about _mine?"_ They were about to fight, but Akamaru barked, _"It's dark out and I'm cold."_ Kiba snorted, "Akamaru, you're _always_ cold. Ok, baby, let's go back." Neko stood up, only to be picked up, "Kiba! Put me down, you idiot!" She hit him on the head, making him flinch, "But… I don't want you to hurt the baby."

He put on a pouting face, and she sighed, "Is it gonna be like this all throughout the pregnancy?" He nodded, evilly. "Yes, it will." They were silent as they walked back, and Neko muttered, "No matter _what_ gender, we're getting that kid a jacket like you used to have." Kiba blushed, "Tch, pussy cat." "Psh, dog boy. I'm _trying_ to come up with ideas, here!"

Kiba didn't feel anything except joy as he carried her back to their house, Akamaru and Talon rolling their eyes at each other as the happy couple walked and bickered, back to the purplish-gray house.

Heh. The next chapter, I have a feeling, is going to be my ABSOLUTE favorite chapter. Don't ask me why, but I have some really good ideas for it. The next chapter is the last chapter though D: No matter… looks like I'll have to continue with some other stories, and/or make one-shots and new stories! Guess after the last chapter, you'll have to look for a different one of my works! :'( I really liked this chapter… Rate/Review!


	50. Enter: Baby Inuzuka!

_Flashback:_

_Kiba didn't feel anything except joy as he carried her back to their house, Akamaru and Talon rolling their eyes at each other as the happy couple walked and bickered, back to the purplish-gray house._

Chapter 50: Enter: Baby Inuzuka!

**Neko's POV**

The last nine months had been… different. Kiba hadn't left her side, and all they had been talking about and taking consideration of was the baby. Those nine months were tough, especially for Neko, who felt nothing but pain most days. Pills wouldn't help, and usually all she wanted to do was sleep. She tripped the other day, and Kiba had leaped to her rescue, becoming the pillow that she had fallen on. He coughed up a bit of blood afterwards, but said that it was for the good of the baby.

They had seen the sonogram, and had decided to wait until the baby was born to find out the gender. Both of them primarily wanted a daughter, but it didn't really matter. "As long as it's healthy," most couples would probably have said. Neko couldn't even count how many times Kiba had taken her to the hospital in one month, and he was always telling her something may be wrong, but it was because of the unusually tough pains she always suffered.

Many things had happened in the past couple months; Naruto and Hinata tied the knot, and Neko and Kiba were the Maid of Honor and the Best Man. Also, Shikamaru and Temari's son, Tekamaru Nara, which was a mix of both their names, had taken his first steps.

Neko was lying on Kiba's chest, though, and suddenly she felt unexplainable pain sear her body. She let out a whimper for a moment, and Kiba stroked her extremely swollen stomach. "It's ok, baby," he murmured, and Neko knew that his eyes were closed. "Kiba," she breathed, suddenly out of breath, "It hurts."

He must have opened his eyes, because he began to shift his weight, making Neko whimper. Kiba sighed, "Are you sure you're ok, baby?" Neko touched her stomach, which was in pain. She could almost feel the baby thrashing around, and then it hit her. "I think… I think the baby's coming." Kiba picked her up, "Then… we're going to the hospital. Talon, Akamaru… let's go."

Before she could get a word in edgewise, he was out the door, both animals tailing them. It only took a moment for the extreme pain to set in, and she groaned, causing Kiba to sigh, "It'll be ok; we're almost there." Suddenly, though, Kiba stopped, and Neko looked up, her vision hazing a bit, to see Shikamaru and Temari, holding hands with Tekamaru.

Neko couldn't hear what was said between the two, and then they began to move again. Once they reached the red building that was the Hokage's Office, as well as the hospital, Neko jumped out of Kiba's arms, feeling nothing but the need to lie down. He was staring at her incredulously, and she heard herself whisper, "Let's go."

The Nara's were behind them as they walked into the hospital room, Neko feeling almost half-conscious. She barely heard Kiba explain to the nurse at the desk what was happening, and she found herself being dragged to a very white room with lots of technology.

**Kiba's POV**

He watched as Neko walked to the back with the nurse, who called Sakura, who was in the back, to follow. Talon went with them, which left himself and the Nara's in the room. He was about to walk with them, but Shikamaru grabbed his hand, "No… Neko wouldn't want you to hear her in pain." All Kiba could do was listen; maybe being there would put unnecessary stress on her. No one else was there that day, and Kiba felt somewhat relief. However, as soon as he sat down he heard Neko scream. It took energy not to run to the door, break it down, and go to her, but he held himself in place. Shikamaru looked at him and asked, "What's up?"

All Kiba had to do was look at him, and Shikamaru nodded, "Ah. I get it. She'll be fine, Kiba. You worry too much." _"What if she's not? What if having this kid is too much for her body and she… dies?"_ Those words, even if not spoken aloud, were enough to make Kiba flinch.

Tekamaru, who was sitting quietly in Temari's lap, sighed, but didn't say anything because he couldn't really speak yet. Temari looked at the door, "Huh… so, is it going to be a boy or a girl, Kiba?" He looked at her, feeling nothing but worry, "We dunno yet." Temari nodded absentmindedly, and they sat there in silence for about thirty minutes.

Kiba hadn't left his seat, and Akamaru was pacing, with Talon on his head. Suddenly, he whined and lied down next to Kiba's feet. "What's up, boy?" Kiba asked, biting his lip nervously. Akamaru whined again, _"I can't take this… hearing her in pain hurts."_ Kiba nodded, "Me too, buddy. Me, too." Just as he hung his head, Neko screamed from beyond the wall.

Shikamaru was staring at him, and nudged him, "We've got company." Kiba looked up to see Naruto and Hinata standing in the doorway. "Hey, dog boy, Shik, and Temari! Don't forget Tekamaru." Hinata sat down next to Temari, and Naruto sat down next to Kiba, not that he saw him. "So… I went over to your house, and saw that you guys weren't home. Guess my guess was right; it's time!"

Kiba just glared at him, "It's hard hearing her in pain." His voice was merely a whisper, and Naruto patted him on the back, "I figured. That's why _I'm_ here! I'll distract you!" Kiba just stared at the orange-clad idiot and sighed, "Good luck." Akamaru sighed back, and Talon was playing with his ears. It was silent again, except for Temari and Hinata talking about something that didn't concern him.

**Neko's POV**

She felt her mouth open, but no sound came out as Sakura sighed, "You're doing great, Neko. Just keep calm. The baby isn't ready quite yet…" _"How the fuck is the baby not ready? The little monster is killing me over here!" _She thought, almost angrily. "It's all… Kiba's fault…" she whispered, mouth suddenly dry.

Sakura's green eyes squinted in laughter, "I'm sure it is." The next few moments were completely silent, but her womb convulsed, making Neko scream out in pain.

**Kiba's POV**

The next few moments were nothing but terror for him; when he heard Neko scream, he felt nothing but anger. _"I should be in there, helping her!"_ He stood up, suddenly, and Naruto grabbed his arm, slamming him back down onto his chair. "Dammit, you dumb dog! Can you stay still for once in your life?" But Kiba kept trying to get out of his grasp.

"_She's hurt… I've gotta do something about it!"_ Akamaru bit his leg, and growled for him to sit down, so he did, sighing. He heard a weaker scream emit from afar, and he shivered. Naruto must have noticed, and said, "Dude… don't be afraid. Neko's gonna do just fine." Kiba just growled, "It's hard _not_ to be afraid… I'm always scared. I don't want anything to happen to her."

Naruto just laughed, "Hah, I'm the same way with Hinata… but… you just need to chill out." Trying to take Naruto's advice, he took a deep breath. _"Neko's going to be ok. Our kid is going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok. I'm just… overreacting."_ He heard Shikamaru say to Naruto, "Don't be too hard on him; he's always been pretty protective of her." But decided to think nothing of it as he concentrated on being calm.

**Neko's POV**

She hadn't felt a pain more intense than the one she was feeling right then. Sakura was reciting things that she needed to check for and do, but Neko couldn't care less at the moment. _"Won't this damn baby come any faster? Not only is this painful, but I want to know the gender."_ She let out a moan, and Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead, "You're doing great, Neko. Kiba's gonna be proud of you."

"Damn straight he should be," Neko growled, feeling as if she was going to explode or start bleeding out on the cot she was on. Sakura just laughed, and Neko heard the door open. Half expecting it to be Kiba or Shikamaru, she tried to get a better look over her baby bump, but only saw Lady Tsunade wearing a mask and some gloves, "How's she doing?" She heard her whisper to Sakura.

Sakura was beaming, "She's doing really well! The baby is definitely healthy, I can tell you that!" Tsunade must have smiled, but Neko didn't take any notice, as another contraction shook her body, making her almost want to cry and get it over with. Neko heard a faint moan escape from her lips, and Lady Tsunade looked at her, and put her hand atop of her stomach.

It was freezing, as if she had just stuck it in a freezer, and Neko cried out in surprise. Another contraction shook her, and her barely conscious thought was, _"They keep coming… quicker and quicker…"_ But Lady Tsunade's eyes widened as she nodded to Sakura. "The baby is coming."

"_Fucking finally…"_ Neko growled in her head, before becoming unsteady because of another contraction.

**Kiba's POV**

In the pit of his stomach, he felt it; Neko was in extreme discomfort at the moment. He could almost _feel_ the waves of pain coming out of the wall, and as if his thoughts called it forth, Neko screamed, louder than he had ever heard.

On impulse, he stood up, "Fuck it, I'm going in," he growled. Suddenly, he was being dragged back by two Naruto's, and a third one was still sitting in a seat. "Sit down, dog. I know it hurts, but she wouldn't want you to see her in pain." Kiba growled, "Let me go, Naruto. My baby's hurt, and I don't care if she doesn't want me to see her; I'm gonna go help her."

He pulled out of both of the clone's grasps, but sat back down when the room was silent. Naruto glared at him, "Ok, dog. We're gonna have a competition. Whoever can stay in one place the longest… wins… a free… thing." Kiba snorted, "I'm not gonna bet you if I dunno what this… 'thing'… is." Naruto was tapping his foot, "Hang on… I'm thinking!"

After a moment, Naruto snapped his fingers, "I got it; the one who wins gets something that Shik is gonna pick up for us." Shikamaru sighed, "Fine… bring me into your little bet, Naruto. It's not like I have somewhere _else_ to spend my money…" Oblivious, Naruto whispered something into Shikamaru's ear, making him snort, "Sure. I'll go get it later."

"Competition starts… now." Kiba sighed; playing Naruto's little games helped a little. _"I just hope… Neko's ok."_

**Neko's POV**

She felt nothing but immense pain as Sakura willed her to push. "C'mon, you can do it!" Neko, at the moment, wanted to punch Sakura in the face, because she was so happy and smiles, when all Neko wanted to do was cry. _"Dammit. This hurts."_

Neko screamed out for a moment, and felt the small baby inside of her move. _"Finally making some fucking progress!"_ Tsunade sighed, "Neko, you're gonna have to do ten times better than _that!_" Just hearing Tsunade disregard her made her angry enough to push with all her might, ending up screaming at the end.

"_When will this end?"_

**Kiba's POV**

Kiba could hear Neko screaming, and he said aloud, "After this… we're not having another one." Temari turned to him, "Huh? Why? You guys always talked about having a big family!" But Kiba met her eyes, and she looked away. "Temari," he sighed. "I can't… I can't put her through this anymore. I'm not going to. I can't… can't stand the feeling of this. I don't want to put her through any more pain, and I don't like sitting here without being able to do anything about it."

Shikamaru glanced at him, "That's deep, coming from someone like you, Kiba. You should tell her that, because I'm sure she was planning on having another one…" But just as he said that, Neko snarled from behind the wall, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "It's all his fault! I swear if he makes me have another one…" she trailed off, going into a screeching frenzy.

Once she was done, Kiba snorted, "I think we're both on the same terms." Everyone laughed, but suddenly, Kiba felt a sickening thump in his chest, and he sighed, "I think… I think the baby's coming…" As he said that, Shikamaru stood up, "Alright, then. Temari, Hinata… you two are the referees. If one of them stands up… the other wins."

Shikamaru left, making Tekamaru almost growl. Hinata and Temari began cooing over how cute he was, and Kiba couldn't help but watch as he tried to drown out Neko's screams. Kiba glanced at the clock, then thought, _"Three hours. We've been here for three hours. I hope she's ok."_ Naruto looked at Hinata, "What day is it?" She thought about it for a moment, then said, "It's April 20th."

Kiba sighed, but grabbed where his heart was when Neko let out a bloodcurdling cry.

**Neko's POV**

It felt like it had been ten hours, but Sakura said, "Ok… this should be about the last push. The little baby is almost out." Neko was drenched in sweat, and she gave the biggest push she had given all day. Suddenly, a sound met her ears. Crying.

Tsunade smirked, and left the room. Sakura was doing something for about three minutes, but suddenly a small bundle was handed to her. Once she uncovered it, the pain she had felt… everything… it disappeared.

**Kiba's POV**

All the noise stopped suddenly, and his eyes widened, _"Is she… is she done?"_ Temari, Tekamaru, and Hinata were just sitting quietly, talking every so often, and Naruto wouldn't take his gaze off of him. Lady Tsunade walked through the door, a smirk on her face. Naruto jumped up, "Granny Tsunade!" But Temari snorted, "You lose, idiot."

Kiba couldn't help but snort as well, and Naruto went into full rage. However, Lady Tsunade motioned to him, and he followed her. "Neko did just fine. In fact, that was one of the fastest births I've ever had to help with." Kiba felt his heart nearly bursting out of his chest, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Tsunade just laughed, "You're gonna have to wait and see. Sakura will tell you." He was led to a little room three doors down from the waiting room, and saw Neko holding a small, white blanket. Sakura was next to her, and once she saw him she laughed, "Kiba! Congratulations." He froze in the doorway, watching Neko touch her nose to it, and the questions overcame him.

Talon and Akamaru, who had followed him, settled down next to the cot together, appearing to have fallen asleep.

As if Sakura knew exactly what he was thinking, she said, "I'll leave the two of you alone." Once she was gone, Neko looked up at him, "Kiba… it's a girl." His feet still refused to let him move, but once he did, he ran over to her. "You're ok, right?" She smiled at him, "I'm fine, but if we have any more kids, I _may_ have to kill you." Kiba sighed, "I figured…"

Neko handed the bundle to him, "You can hold her… but I don't have a name yet. We never _did_ pick out names, did we?" Kiba shook his head as he cautiously held the bundle in his arms. He lifted up the blanket that was half draped over the little girl's head, and his eyes met the most beautiful gray eyes he had ever seen, besides Neko's.

Her skin was just like Neko's, and really soft. She had all of Neko's features, even her hair, but the baby suddenly smiled. He noticed that she even had the Inuzuka triangles on her cheeks. "She's beautiful…" he breathed. The baby squirmed in his arms, and her eyes slit just like Neko's when she was mad.

Kiba laughed, "She's just like you!" Neko smiled back, "That means that she'll have your personality… that's not a good sign." "What's that supposed to mean, pussy cat?" "Nothing… just that she's going to be running all over the place, thinking she's better than everyone else." Before Kiba could think of something clever to say, Shikamaru walked through the door, holding something behind his back.

"Since I _knew_ Naruto was going to lose, and I figured once you got the prize that he decided to pick, you'd give it to Neko… I picked out her favorite one." Shikamaru uncovered a vase with a pinkish-purple flower in it and left, saying, "Call me in when you guys are done." Kiba watched as Neko's eyes widened as she looked at the flower, and she muttered, "That's… that's it…"

"What's it…?" Kiba asked, confused, but she looked up at him and reached out for the little girl in Kiba's arms, "I know what her name is going to be." He nuzzled his face into her neck, "Anything you want it to be, baby." "Orchid. Orchid Inuzuka." Kiba looked at the bundle in her arms, and newly-named Orchid just smiled a baby grin.

Neko began to rock her, and Kiba felt nothing but happiness. Akamaru had walked over and put his head on the cot and he barked up at him, _"Which language is she going to learn?"_ Kiba looked at the white dog and murmured as she watched Neko nuzzle Orchid. "Both."

Success? I hope so! :D However, sadly, the story is over :'( I know, it's so sad. D: But… I've still got ideas, so in essence, my story is _not_ over :D This specific one is, but my stories as a whole is not even close to being over! :D I _loved_ this chapter :D I hope you guys loved it as much as me. :) Rate/Review… and get other people to read this! :D


	51. Orchid's Fourth Birthday Party!

_Flashback:_

_Neko began to rock her, and Kiba felt nothing but happiness. Akamaru had walked over and put his head on the cot and he barked up at him, "Which language is she going to learn?" Kiba looked at the white dog and murmured as she watched Neko nuzzle Orchid. "Both."_

Chapter 51: Orchid's Fourth Birthday Party

"Mommy! Daddy!" A small voice wailed from a nearby room. Neko, closest, ran toward the voice and asked, "Orchid?! Honey, where-" But the girl climbed out from underneath the bed, "I was just wondering if you could find me!"

She gave a small laugh, making Neko smile; she acted just like her father, and looked just like her, other than the red triangles on her cheeks, her sharp teeth, and sense of smell. "Where's daddy?" The small child asked, looking around furiously.

In an attempt to find Kiba, Orchid hit a pillow with her small hand and disturbed Talon, who was asleep on a pillow. The black cat meowed lazily and fell back asleep as Orchid whispered, "Sorry, Talon…"

Neko picked her daughter up and carried her into their living room. "Orchid," she asked. "Do you like cats or dogs better?" She had been trying to ask their daughter the same question since she'd been able to speak, but the answer was always the same and it never changed.

"Both, mommy!" Orchid's sharp-looking teeth shone in the light, and a movement at the door caused her to whip around, "Daddy!" Orchid exclaimed, jumping out of Neko's arms and heading toward the door happily.

Neko couldn't help but smile; Kiba had been out on missions a lot more often, and Orchid missed him a lot. Akamaru burst through the door, whining happily, and Orchid hopped on top of him like normal. Kiba walked through the door, looking exhausted.

"Daddy!" Orchid cried out. He looked down at her, "Hey, Orchid." He scooped her up into his arms and she grabbed his hair, "Daddy, mommy was looking for you earlier!" Kiba looked past his daughter and smiled, "What did she want?"

Orchid put her small finger on her mouth, "I don't know; she said something about… you doing something." Kiba walked toward Neko, smiling happily. "Hey, baby." Neko smiled back, "Hi." Orchid kissed Kiba on the cheek, "Mommy… how did you and daddy meet?"

Kiba smiled as he put Orchid down on Akamaru's back, "Actually… Uncle Shika introduced us to each other. When I first met her… I didn't like her." Neko smiled back, "No kidding. But I did everything I could to get him to like me, as a friend at least, but nothing helped. Eventually, though, he liked me back, and I suppose it grew from there."

Orchid stared between her parents and huffed, "You're not telling me everything! I want the _whole_ story!" Kiba laughed and looked at Neko, "She's as sharp as you!" Neko walked up to him and slapped him, "Shh." But picked up their daughter, "I'll tell you the whole story when you're older."

Neko sighed when she watched her daughter tear up; it was a technique that she taught her to get Kiba to do whatever she wanted, and she was so good at it, that even Neko herself fell for it sometimes. "Please, mommy?! I want to know!"

Kiba looked at her, "Tell her or I will…" Neko sighed, "Ok… at first, your dad and I hated each other, but then we grew to love each other over time… but then he made a mistake-" "Silly daddy!" Orchid laughed, and Kiba smiled softly, leaving the room. Neko continued, "We didn't talk to each other for a while, but we soon got over it. Then, we confessed that we loved each other, and we had you after we got married and got the house."

Hoping that that satisfied the small child, Neko began to leave the room with Orchid in her arms, beckoning Akamaru to follow, and Orchid sighed, "That sounds nice!" She smiled a bright, Kiba-like smile, and Neko returned it as she journeyed upstairs to Orchid's bedroom.

Even though Kiba had wanted to paint it pink, Orchid insisted that they paint it purple. Since those two are the same, attitude-wise, they went at it forever, until Neko decided to paint it a mauve-like color, which is in the middle. The two were happy about it, and it finally settled the problem.

Neko laid the small girl into her tiny bed, "Ok… go to bed. It's almost seven o'clock. Daddy and I will be in the next room if you need anything." Orchid just smiled, "Since when do I need anything? I'm gonna be a tough ninja!" "I'm sure you will," Neko smiled gently as she tucked Orchid into her white sheets.

She turned out the lights as Orchid muttered, "Night, mommy." Neko whispered, "Goodnight."

Closing the door carefully, Neko made sure that nothing would possibly disturb her daughter and made her way downstairs. Kiba was in the kitchen, doing something, and Neko leaned against the refrigerator, "Whatcha doing?"

As if she had scared him, Kiba jumped half a foot and turned around guiltily, "Nothing." But she walked over to him, "Don't even try hiding things from me. I _always_ find out." He sighed, "Ok, fine. I'm just scribbling on a piece of paper."

Neko grabbed it from him and saw nothing but lines and random marks. "What's on your mind?" She asked. Kiba turned away from her, walking toward Akamaru, who was lying on the floor. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about Orchid. Her fourth birthday is tomorrow, isn't it?"

She nodded, "Yes. What's there to think about? We've _got_ all of her presents." Kiba nodded, "You're right. Never mind." He rubbed the back of his neck, just like he did when he was frustrated, and began to walk upstairs, "See you when you get up here."

Although nothing in his voice or the way that he walked betrayed it, Neko knew that something was up with her husband. _"I'm gonna find out what."_

**Orchid's POV**

She sat up in the dark and, turned on the lights after she smelled that her mother was gone. _"If I'm going to start at the Academy in two years, then I'm gonna have to have a head start over all of the other kids! I want to be Hokage!"_

Orchid smiled as she made her way over to her bookcase and pulled out a book that she had taken from her parent's bedroom, entitled; "How to Use Kunai and Shuriken."

"_I'll DEFINITELY have a head start."_

She sat there, looking through the book and reading the words that she knew and looking at the pictures, for at least ten minutes, when a scent crossed her nose. Not one that was normally in her house, anyway.

Orchid looked out of her cracked window, where the scent was coming from, and saw a flash of yellow. "Uncle Naruto!" She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. He shushed her, "Ok, so I remembered that your birthday is tomorrow, am I correct?"

She nodded brusquely, and she could see his happy face, "Well, Hinata and I got you some presents and I wanted to give them to you early… but I doubt Kiba would _ever_ let me… so I'm sneaking you out!" Orchid smiled; she _loved_ doing things when her parents didn't know she was.

"Ok, I'm coming out of the window then! We'll have to hurry; they'll come up here to check on me any minute!" But her door suddenly opened, "Just checking on you, Orchid, so get back to bed." Her father's tired voice sounded from behind her, and he reached to turn her lights out, but opened the door more, "What are you doing…?"

Orchid turned from the window, "Just looking at the moon! It's pretty, daddy! I'll go to bed." She walked away from the window and Naruto and climbed into bed. Kiba smiled and sighed, "Goodnight. Your mother and I love you." Orchid nodded, "Night, daddy!" He laughed and turned out her light, closing the door behind him as he walked out.

As soon as the door closed, she jumped out of bed and ran to the window, "Ok, coast is clear!" Orchid jumped onto the roof and climbed, carefully, down the tree that was nearly touching the house. Naruto met her at the bottom, "Ok, we'll go over to Hinata and I's house, ok?" Orchid smiled, nodding, as she took Naruto's hand and walked toward their house.

It was only right down the street and through the park, so it wasn't far, and they walked in to see Hinata wearing a party hat, "Oh, hello! Happy early birthday, Orchid! It's a good thing that Kiba and Neko let her come to our place this late, right Naruto?"

Naruto smirked to Orchid, "Yeah…" Before he could get found out, Orchid asked, "Where are my presents?" But a ring at the door sounded, "Now… who could _that_ be?" Hinata asked, walking toward the door. Orchid gave Naruto a worried look; if her mother, or even worse, her _father,_ found out that she was here, at _this_ hour, she'd be in big trouble.

But it was only Shikamaru with Temari and Tekamaru. Tekamaru was at least six months older than she was, and he acted it, too. He was really bossy and mean, but he was really smart, too. What's weird, though, was that he looked exactly like Shikamaru but blonde hair and blue eyes, like Temari. "Uncle Shika and Aunt Temari!"

Even though they weren't really related, she had gotten used to calling them her aunt and uncle. Tekamaru, though, just huffed when he saw her. "Happy birthday," he muttered, handing her a small box. "Thank you." Orchid smiled, opening it, and saw a small bow.

"Th-thank you!" Orchid stammered, smiling at the small bow inside. It was simple, just royal blue with a few rhinestones on it, but it was pretty. Shikamaru looked down at her, "Where are your parents?" She smiled sheepishly at Naruto, who answered, scratching his cheek, "Uh… they couldn't make it tonight, Shik…"

As usual, Shikamaru saw right through this and said, smirking, "Already getting her into trouble? She's gonna turn out like you and Kiba: always in trouble, and making anyone she meets a rival. I doubt Kiba's gonna like that; he wants her to be just like Neko."

Not knowing what they were talking about, Orchid went to join Temari and Hinata, who started handing her box after box, "Four years old! Before you know it, you'll be a Genin, and maybe even become Hokage!" But Naruto glared at them, and Orchid pointed her finger at his face, "I'll beat you to becoming Hokage! You just wait!"

**Kiba's POV**

He walked out of Orchid's room, walking to their bedroom, and sat down on the bed. It was quiet until Talon walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, and in turn, Akamaru followed. He sighed; life had been particularly easy.

"_Having a family… from what my mom said… I thought it'd be tough. But… it's the easiest, most soothing thing I've ever done. Now I just have to make sure she turns out right."_ Kiba smirked to himself, and jumped up to take a quick shower before going to bed.

When he got out, Neko was laying on their bed, reading a book. "Did you check on Orchid?" She asked, without looking up. "Of course," he answered, falling onto his side of the bed. Neko put her book down and looked down at him, "Stop giving me that look," she muttered when he widened his eyes.

"I know what you want, but you're not getting it! Not as long as Orchid is in the room next to us." She turned off her lamp and lied down, trying to sleep. Kiba turned off his lamp as well and wrapped his arm around her. "Fine," he muttered. "I'm too tired anyway."

She snorted, "Don't make me laugh; you need Viagra to keep you going anyway." Kiba felt a growl rise to his throat, but he didn't reply. Before he knew it, though, he was falling asleep as he rubbed his face into her hair.

Thirty minutes later, he woke up with a start. _"What's up?"_ he asked himself, wondering why he was suddenly worried. Moving slowly as to not wake Neko up, Kiba got out of bed and pulled his jacket over his shoulders groggily.

He leaned against the bedroom door for a moment, debating over whether or not he should go and get a glass of water, but he ended up deciding to. Kiba began walking, but felt Akamaru push his nose into his hand. "Oh, hey, boy," Kiba greeted him.

Akamaru looked as though he was about to answer, but as he passed Orchid's room, Akamaru began trying to push the door open. "What's gotten into you? Orchid can't play with you right now; she's asleep!" But Akamaru glared at him, _"She's not even in her room."_

Now worried, he opened her door and turned on her light, and sure enough, she wasn't there. _"Damn."_ He cursed in his head as he began to sniff out her trail. Akamaru was doing the same and whimpered, _"She left deliberately; she climbed out of the window, up to the roof, down the gigantic tree, and met up with someone else as they… apparently walked down the street."_

Kiba climbed into the window, "I'm gonna go after her. Don't tell Neko or wake her up; I don't want her to be worried about me or anything." With that, he jumped onto the ground and ran down the street, following his daughter's scent.

There was indeed a second scent, and when he recognized it, he growled aloud, _"Naruto. That fucking idiot. He thinks he can just take my daughter whenever he wants to. Hell no."_ His pace only picked up as he ran toward their household and literally punched the door.

The voices inside literally paused as someone opened the door. At first, no one was there, just people staring at him, but he looked down to see Orchid staring up at him. "Daddy!" She smiled. Kiba just snorted as Naruto came into his line of sight.

When Naruto spotted him, he put his hands up to his face, "Now… Kiba… uh… I can explain!" But Kiba grabbed Naruto by his normal orange jumpsuit, "You thought you could get away with this?!" Naruto waved his arms around, "Kinda! I mean… I figured since tomorrow, you'd want to spend all day with Orchid, that Hinata and I would hold a brief party for her! Shik, Temari, and Tekamaru decided to pay a visit, too! I was gonna have her home by midnight, tops!"

Kiba growled, about to throw a punch, but Orchid grabbed his jacket and pulled on it, "He's right, daddy! I'm sorry!" She gave him her best sad eyes and Kiba sighed, putting Naruto down. "Fine. I'll just leave her to you, then…"

Orchid smiled widely, "You mean it?! I can stay until midnight?" He sighed again, shaking his head, "Yeah. And Naruto," he glared at the blonde-haired ninja. "If she's one second late, I'll tear your head off." Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Don't worry about it!"

Shikamaru laughed at him, "Even I'm not that strict, Kiba. You need to lighten up." Kiba just shook his head, "Whatever, Shik." He hugged Orchid. "I'm leaving because you're getting your presents tomorrow." Orchid just laughed, "Too bad I found them already!"

Kiba's eyes widened, "That's impossible! You couldn't have-" But she hugged him tighter, "My favorite presents are you and mommy!" An audible 'aww' could be heard from everyone in the room, and Kiba sighed, "That's nice of you to say, Orchid. Ok; I'll be back home, and I'll check on you to make sure you're back. Ok?" She nodded, "I'll remind Uncle Naruto when I feel sleepy."

He glared at Naruto, who nodded, and he walked out of their house. _"What the hell did I just do?"_ He asked himself. _"I'm trusting NARUTO, the number one unpredictable knucklehead, with my four year old daughter? I'll probably end up regretting this one…"_ Kiba walked back home, full of shame, and walked into the house to find Neko sitting on the steps.

She glared at him, and Kiba felt his heart stop as she pointed into the dark living room. "Couch. Now." Kiba sighed, "Baby…" but she walked upstairs, not listening to him. Akamaru barked at him, laughing, _"Busted."_

Ok, yeah, I said the story was over, and it is, but this was stuck in my head and I _had_ to share it with you guys! Bonus chapters for the win! Anyway, yeah, this one was probably my personal favorite chapters to write! :D Rate/Review! :D


	52. A New Adventure!

Chapter 52: A New Adventure

"Backpack?"

Neko asked, looking over her daughter.

The small girl only smiled up at her mother.

"Of course! Mom, I have everything, don't worry about it!"

Though, that was the least of Neko's problems.

"Your father is a substitute teacher for your class, so I expect you to behave! Ok?"

Orchid nodded, obeying her mother.

"Yes, mom…"

With that, though, Orchid was off to the Academy for the first time.

Iruka was supposed to be teaching, but he had an urgent mission to attend to, and her father wanted to be the one who taught his own daughter on her first day.

Orchid thought it was so dumb, yet she was fine with it anyway.

She arrived at the Academy only moments late, and her father stared at her.

"Pick a seat, Orchid."

He had an unusually business-like attitude about him as he pointed to one of the desks.

Immediately, though, Orchid could see Tekamaru at the back, messing around.

He was with two others: Ayame, who was the daughter of Hinata's cousin and his girlfriend, and Haru.

Orchid didn't know too much about Haru other than the fact that he was a new student who had never been to Konoha before.

As soon as she took her seat, the fire alarm went off and everything went dark, which was strange, and she heard her father mutter:

"Could today get any worse?!"

* * *

Ok, so yeah, I know that this chapter is so totally random and all… but I'll probably make another chapter adding onto this one.

Probably? I mean... I will* xD

Rate/Review: I miss your feedback :(

I APOLOGIZE WHOLEHEARTEDLY ABOUT HOW SHORT THIS ONE IS! I'LL MAKE UP FOR IT!


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